


Surviving the Goblin King

by underground_archivist



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-27
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2020-07-30 16:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 89,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20099944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underground_archivist/pseuds/underground_archivist
Summary: Jareth has been sent off to the above, his magic has been taken. Sarah offers him a roof over his head and help to get back, but will this be enough? One thing is for sure - this is far from easy for both of them.





	1. *Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from banshee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Underground](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Underground_\(Labyrinth_archive\)) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2019. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Underground’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/underground/profile).

The sun was rising quietly in a small, rather secluded town. It was a town that suffered constant weather changes. Within a minute it could go from sunny, warm and dry to sudden storm. There lived two hundred and eleven people.

  
  
"Shit!" Sarah jumped out of bed, turning off the alarm clock. Her long, dark raven hair was messed up from her rough night. Green eyes darted around her room and she collected some fresh clothes. The woman ran towards the bathroom, threw her clothes in the sink and turned on the warm stream of water in the shower.

Five minutes later she jumped out, dressed and dried her hair quickly and ran down the stairs, nearly tripping. Sarah cursed softly. "Jare, Fizz!" She put an apple in her mouth and grabbed her keys, wallet and cellphone. A black schipper-poo - a Schipperke slash poodle hybrid - ran into the room happily. Jare was one years old, gentle, playful and mischievous. "Jare? Where's Fizz?" Suddenly a dark brown dog walked into the room with a toy in his mouth. Fizz was a hybrid of a Pomeranian and a toy poodle, thirteen years old and was mostly dark brown, only his paws, tale and chin light brown. "There you are! Come on!"  
  
Sarah walked to the front door, held open the door and the dogs walked towards her car like they did every day. The woman closed the door behind her and walked to her light green Volvo xc30. She opened the door to the passenger seat and Jare hopped in like he always did. Fizz waited patiently until Sarah had opened the door of the back seat and hopped in with a little bit of effort.  
  
The woman sat down in her seat, sighed and bit in the apple. She looked on her cellphone at the time and smiled slightly. She had managed to get int the car right on time and drove towards her work with a relaxing sigh.  
  
Sarah managed the best selling fashion store in town and did a good job with her own brand. Her home was small but cozy and her life simple and balanced. Her previous dog, Merlin, had passed away two weeks before she moved out. Merlin was just too old, it had to happen some day.

  
Suddenly someone seemed to appear out of nowhere, standing on the side of the road. Sarah jammed on the brake and barely managed to avoid the person on the road. She looked into her rear-view mirror and saw a tall blond man standing on the road, seeming to be in shock. Sarah growled and turned her eyes back on the road.  
  
Minutes later she had calmed down and she parked her car. From her seat she could see the shop had already been opened and two customers where already looking around. Sarah turned off her engine, stepped out and held the two doors open for her dogs. She threw her apple in the rubbish bin on the side of the road and Jare and Fizz followed with wagging tales as she stepped inside.  
  
"Hey Selma," Sarah waved to the girl behind the counter. "You're early."  
  
"Hi Miss Williams!" Selma smiled and shrugged. "Yes, well... I got up a little ahead of my alarm and decided to get here early." Selma lived across the street, she was nineteen years old, still had braces and she was Sarah's assistant.

"Thank you, I'll go feed the dogs real quick." The woman whistled, calling the dogs and led them towards the small room in the back of the store. Sarah filled two bowls with dog food - which she kept in the store as well - and refreshed the bowl with water.  
  
Sarah walked back to the store, always keeping the door open so the dogs could walk around. "I'll fill the shelves, Sel, could you make sure the new delivery is set?"  
  
"Right away ma'am." Selma said after a customer paid the bill.  
  
The woman hummed along with the radio softly while filling the shelves. She heard the bell of the door, but didn't pay attention to it. A hand tapped on her shoulder and she looked up. Sarah rolled her eyes mentally and raised. "Can I help you sir?"  
  
"Hi Sarah!" A black haired man said with a sheepish grin. Dark brown eyes studied her clothing and looked back at her face. His face was angular, his lips a little bit full and his hair combed back neatly. He wore an outfit from her store, like he always did.  
  
That was the only reason why she was polite towards him - he was one of her most loyal - slightly obsessed - customers.  
  
"Err... I was thinking the other day... Would you like to go for dinner with me this Friday?"  
  
Sarah looked at him, thinking. He wasn't ugly, or mean. But the fact that he came here every day unnerved her a little. There weren't much men of her age in this town, so she wasn't that picky. She actually preferred blonds, but why not give it a shot. "Okay Gaz, why not."  
  
A big grin spread on Gaz's face and his eyes shone. "Splendid! Shall I pick you up at eight here when you're closing the shop?"  
  
Sarah shrugged. "Sounds good. But I'll have to take the dogs with me."  
  
"That's okay, animals are cool!" Gaz said, still smiling. "I'll see you Friday!" Gaz cheered and walked out of the store with a spring in his step.  
  
'At least that confirms that he won't be here the next three days.' Sarah mused and continued with filling the shelves.  
  
The woman had now nearly filled all shelves, she finished the last one and sighed softly. "Sel, is the delivery set?"  
  
"Yes ma'am. It's looking good this month - we already collected two hundred dollars more than usual." Selma said happily.  
  
The woman smiled and stroked Jare once. "Great! If you like you can take a small break - all the work we needed to do for now is already finished."  
  
Selma pursed her lips and frowned slightly. "I think I'm going to the bakery then. I'll be back within five minutes."  
  
"Don't rush it." Sarah grinned as Selma tried to quickly put on her jacket. The girl left and Sarah looked around. Fizz walked to her quietly and touched her hand with his nose. Sarah picked him up and stroked his head. She put him back down and saw how Jare tried to encourage Fizz to play.  
  
Fizz was an old dog, he didn't play anymore. Most of the times he just walked around, barely even lifting his feet, searching for someone to sit quietly with. However, Jare didn't give up.  
  
Selma stepped back into the store. "I'm sorry that it took so long - it was quite busy."  
  
"It's okay Sel, do you think you could be alone for fifteen minutes or so? I'd like to take Jare out real quick."  
  
"Oh, I can manage. There's not much to do anyway. Take your time."  
  
"Thanks Selma, I'll let you go this afternoon a little bit earlier." Sarah called Jare and walked towards the door. "I'll be back in a few." She opened the door, Jake jumping outside, and the woman closed the door behind her.  
  
There was a strange mist drifting through the village, it shaded the sun which had shone that day quite cheerfully and made the air slightly damp. Sarah thought back at the man on the road. She had recognized him, didn't she? However, it could be that her mind was playing with her - how could someone just appear out of thin air? Jare knew he wasn't allowed at any time to cross a road and it even showed he made sure Sarah was careful as well, when he barked after she almost blindly crossed the street. 

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; )) 

About twelve minutes later she was back at the shop. She saw someone standing at the counter in front of Selma and one thing was instantly clear to her - Selma was frightened. The woman gritted her teeth, she always hated it when people came into the store to make trouble. But Sarah had dealt more often with these kind of people so she knew what to do, and so did Jare, who was the guard dog when the shop was opened.

Jare had actually saved her twice from a robbery. Sarah had gotten a gun against her forehead but Jare always succeeded to save her without her or him getting hurt. The thief however, always ran away with a bleeding arm.

"Get him, Jare!" Sarah hissed, held the dog whom was instantly alert and opened the door.

"Hi ma'am..." Selma said and shot her a glance.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at the man's back. Jare barked.

The man turned around now. He was tall, around twenty eight years old. He wore a tight jeans, black boots and a white poet shirt. He was handsome, and had thin lips, blue eyes and curved eyebrows. The man had short blond hair that was neatly combed back.  
  
The woman's lips parted and took one step back. Selma hurried to her side and hid behind her now that she had finally broken free of his captivating gaze. "J-Jareth?!"  
  
The man towered over her looking down at her his eyes filled with confusion and wonder.


	2. *Chapter 2

Jareth growled angerly while walking down the street. How could his father do this to him? He found out that someone had conquered the Labyrinth after Jareth had kept it a secret for ten years. Now he had been dumped into this boring little town. He didn't even know why. And those stupid cars! He had been nearly hit by one of them.

After half an hour of walking around he was even angrier because he didn't even know where he was going. He had seen himself in one of the shop windows, this had been the biggest shock yet. His hair was suddenly extremely short, not even close to the haircut he used to have and his Fae markings were gone. Also his clothes had been exchanged for some mortal wear that he didn't like. Those jeans would leave imprints in his skin by the end of the day.

He walked into a random shop, seeing after entering that is was a clothes store. The Goblin King walked over to the counter where a girl welcomed him politely.

"Girl, can you tell me where I am?"

"I'm... I'm sorry?"

Jareth gritted his teeth and leaned on the counter with his hands. "I'm not in the mood for being questioned."

"Could you get off the counter, please?"

The Goblin King heard the bell he had heard as well when he came inside. But his eyes kept directed on the girl. "Hi ma'am..."

He heard a dog's bark and decided to turn around. Perhaps this woman could talk to him properly. He looked down at the woman that held a black dog at her side, which was growling at him dangerously. The woman had a slightly rounded face, pink lips, an upturned nose, green wide eyes and long straight hair.

The woman took one step back. The girl hurried to her side and hid slightly behind the woman now that she had finally broken free of his gaze. "J-Jareth?!" The woman asked, shocked.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

He tilted his head to one side and studied her face.

"He looks like David Bowie, doesn't he? Do you know this man, Sarah?" Selma asked softly.

"Sarah?" Jareth asked when he heard her name.

The woman cleared her throat and calmed Jare down. "What do you want?"

"I need to talk with you, Sarah." He said and shot a glance towards the girl that was helping a customer.

"Fine. Talk." She turned her back on him and refolded a few messed up clothes.

The Goblin King got annoyed from her curt speech and gritted his teeth. "In private. It's about Labyrinth."

Sarah froze. The Labyrinth. The woman had been really curious how everything wsa going there. She didn't manage to call her friends anymore, for some reason. Somewhere the woman thought Jareth had something to do with that. "Sel, I have to close the shop, something important came up. Can you close the shop for me please?"

"Um, sure."

"Jare, Fizz!" The woman called and the two dogs walked over to her. "Come on." Sarah held open the door and mentioned Jareth to follow her. The Goblin King watched how she put the dogs in the car when suddenly a realisation struck him. "Wait - that's your car?"

"Yep. Why?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "So you were the one that nearly hit me!"

The woman grinned. not daring to look him in the eye as a strange feeling of pride came over her. "Sweet." She held open the door of the back seat and threw it closed after he sat down. He watched her taking the drivers seat where she put the keys in the ignition and started the car. She put on her seatbelt and sighed. Sarah stepped on the accelerator and glided out of the parking space skillfully.

He studied her face and body, seeing how she had grown into a beautiful young woman. The dog beside him looked at him for a while, wagging his tail. He stepped onto the man's lap and sniffed his face. Jareth pulled an annoyed face and pushed the dog back.

Two minutes later Sarah parked in front of her house. She walked to the door, opened it and stepped inside. "Come in." The Goblin King stepped into her house and looked around curiously. Jare ran to a toy and started playing with it while Fizz laid down quietly.

"You have a small house - do you like living like this?" He said when he almost knocked something over.

The woman sat down on the couch. "I live alone - why would I need anything bigger? Come on sit down, I want to hear why you're here."

Jareth sat down, making himself comfortable. "Actually I don't know why I'm here. After you conquered my Labyrinth I decided to keep it a secret..." He heard Sarah mutter but he ignored it. "For ten years I succeeded to keep this information hidden in the paths of the Labyrinth. However, my father visited and heard a goblin talk about it. He demanded an explanation. After I told what happened he got angry - furious. The next thing I knew was that I was sent here."

"Oh - wait a second." She perked up suddenly and walked to the kitchen.

He followed her curiously and watched her writing something on a calendar. "Who or what in the name of the Underground is Gaz?"

The woman put away the pen and turned around. "Are you always like this when you are with someone? You're so nosy!"

"Yes, I blame my goblin nature for that." Jareth said with a wide smirk. "So who or what is Gaz?"

"It's none of your business." She turned around and looked at him, an amused flash shooting through her eyes. "However, I will help you, I suppose. Isn't that generous?"

He bowed closer to her, trapping her against the wall. "Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered?"

She looked up at him and shrugged nonchalantly. "We'll see." He raised one eyebrow at her. "So - what kind of rules do you have in the Underground? What happens when you did something wrong?"

"Well most often we get torn off our possessions, but my father doesn't have the power to do that anymore. Besides that we can get whiplashes, jail, banishment, mortality, tasks, turning into animals, blah blah blah. Pretty much the same as in the Above, but then some with magic." Jareth shrugged and sat back down on the couch in the living room. She looked how he sat down, leaned forward and got lost in thought. The woman turned to the worktop and turned her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "Well, looking at a perspective that I could grasp, unsolved issues could be a problem. But I doubt there's something you didn't finish in this world."

"That is actually quite clever, precious."

"How is that clever in any way?" The woman walked to the living room and sat down on a big chair near him. "_Do_ you have unsolved issues then?" Fizz jumped up the chair and lie down between Sarah's crossed legs. The woman stroked him gently and looked at the otherworldly man.

Jareth shrugged. "Could be. Perhaps before I became Goblin King - which is quite a while ago. I cannot even recall my last name."

"Maybe that's your quest, to find out who you are?"

"Not likely," Jareth grinned. "Everyone I knew back then is already dead or in the Underground as well. And in the Underground no one dares to use my given name so I don't have much use for it."

She held up one hand. "Hold on a second - something just popped into my mind. You said your father sent you here - which means that you have family... Isn't your last name the same as your father's?"

"No. I got adopted when I was five years old. I never knew my real father. Jalismes Moirai, my father by adoption, is one of the little people I can really trust."

Sarah wondered what that would look like, a man playing with a five year old Jareth. She never thought about him in another state as the Goblin King. "So..." She pursed her lips and shrugged. "Not knowing what to do... That means that in this case it will take a while before you figured out how to get out of this. Will you be able to go back to your castle? If not, where do you plan to stay?" Her voice got confused and she looked down at the sleeping dog. "I mean, you have no home, no money, no acquaintances..."

At the same time they looked up, catching each other's gaze. Then a wide grin spread over his face. "I was actually hoping you'd have a spare bed for me." 

The woman's lips parted, she lay Fizz besides her carefully and raised, conflicted. The Goblin King looked like he already knew she was going to reject him, throwing him out of her house and never looking at him again. The man looked away from her to make it easier for himself to deal with the refusal. "Jareth," Sarah said a sigh, but he still didn't look at her. "You can stay."

Jareth looked at her, not believing what she just said. "Excuse me?"

"You can stay here until you can go home."

The man raised and walked towards her, his arms wrapping around her. "Thank you Sarah."

"Wait." She pushed him away. "You're not staying here for free. There will be tasks for you to earn your stay."

"Such as?"

"Work in my store, get groceries from time to time, cook, clean and drive either a car or a bike and take care of my dogs." She shrugged. "Just everything a normal person would do to keep all things straight." Sarah walked towards the kitchen and pulled up her sleeves. "We'll start with a simple thing. First, you're going to prepare lunch. Just a simple egg."


	3. *Chapter 3

Sarah looked how Jareth cooked like he had been doing it on a daily basis. He had been excited and had thrown some things into the eggs. She didn't know what - because she had been with Fizz for a while. Suddenly the old dog's health had taken a nasty turn and he had been more lifeless then ever.

The woman had to admit the egg smelled great - it made her stomach growl willingly. Sarah left the now sleeping Fizz and sat down on the couch. The sound of the egg crackling in the pan stopped slowly, the woman guessing he finished it. There was the sound of moving cutlery and he walked into the living room. He cut a piece from the egg which was covered with some spices and held it out to her. Even when her empty stomach yearned to reach out she lifted one eyebrow and looked at him, questioningly. "Do you actually think I trust that?"

"Don't you?" Jareth grinned and shrugged. "Fine, I'll eat it myself, then." He took a bite and shrugged after a few brief moments. "See? I'm still wide awake, alive, healthy... Now try it." He insisted while cutting off another part. Sarah looked at the piece as he held it out to her and took the bite carefully. The scent of it had been inviting - but the taste was much better. It wasn't too hot or too cold, not too tasteless or too spicy. Before she could stop herself an appreciating moan rolled from her lips.

The Goblin King looked down at her with an arrogant smirk. "I'll just take it for granted that was a positive moan." She narrowed her eyes at him and raised, walking to Fizz to see how he was doing. Sarah picked up the small dog and held it in her arms, her back to the Goblin King. "Fizz..." The woman murmured and petted the dog's furry coat. Sarah half-turned to Jareth and sighed. For a moment the woman in front of him looked so fragile that it seemed that she could start crying any moment. "I'm going for a walk with Fizz. Please don't burn down the house..." The woman left without another word.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah had been gone for two and a half hours now, it had started pouring outside. Jare suddenly started howling, the man in front of the window jumping. When he turned his head to the dog he saw the young one sitting in the middle of the room. Jareth sat down next to the now lit fireplace and held his arms open.

Jare inclined his head to the man, waited for a moment and raised. Quietly the small dog walked to him and sat down on his lap and. The man stroked the dog gently, combing with his fingers through the half long, soft hair.

Another half hour passed in utter silence, even the fire seemed to lick the wood very carefully, barely making a sound.

If it wouldn't have been so quiet, Jareth would never have heard the sound of the front door open so very softly. It closed just as noiselessly and he heard soft rummaging. Jareth lifted the dog off his lap, raised and made his way to the front door.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah closed the front door behind her. Not even a single inch was left dry by the cruel storm outside. She pulled out her shoes, socks and jacket to loose as much weight as possible. The sound of wet jeans sliding over each other was everything she could hear. Perhaps Jareth had fallen asleep or something. Countless drops of water glided down her body or dripped down on the carpet. She didn't care. When she opened the door her eyes instantly fell on Jareth. The way he stood there, silently.

"Sarah?" His voice was soft, questionable and demanding all at the same time, hoping for an explanation of her sudden impulse to walk the dog. Sarah started to shake, her face contorted in pain and her her nails dug in the flesh of her palms as she balled her fists. "Sarah..." He spoke much more gentle now, and more concerned. "Where is your dog?" She wasn't just trembling because she was cold - there was a fierce pain that wanted to break free in any possibility that would show itself. Jareth saw her shivering, her breath shallow and upset. It was obvious that the answer could not be spoken. He strode to her, big firm steps, she lowered her eyes and squeezed them shut, still shaking like a leaf. "It's okay, Sarah." He coaxed, not moving. "Let go, Precious." His voice was tempting, soft...

She felt the pain course through her body, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and started sobbing uncontrollably.

For an entire hour she was crying violently, senselessly and noisily. However, her energy was wearing very thin, her tears wouldn't come anymore. She couldn't object as Jareth gathered her in his arms and lay her down on the couch. It felt like she was going to pass out any second now and she was too weak to struggle against it.

Fizz had been such a great dog. He had always guarded her, he had been there when she was sad to cheer her up. After living her life with this dog for a long while it was almost impossible to think of her life without him. Sarah felt how a warm blanket came to rest over her body, how a pillow got placed under her head and how a gentle hand came to rest upon her forehead. Too tired to try to open her eyes, she felt herself shivering, this time not from the sorrow. Sarah felt hot and uncomfortable and she raised her hand weakly in an attempt to throw away the blanket. A leather-clad hand gripped her wrist and lay it back down. The Goblin King tucked her in, for as far as he could, and hummed a soft calming tune. Something so painfully familiar, something burned in her memory...

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth had checked up on her often throughout making broth. He had to admit he was quite familiar with everything already. He put some of the broth in a bowl and grabbed a spoon. Putting the bowl on the table in front of the couch he crouched down. The Goblin King folded his hand over her forehead and felt violent heat through his glove creeping into his hands. Jareth pulled a cloth out of a bucket with cold water, wrung it out and stroked her face with it before he laid it across her forehead. For someone whom wasn't used to care for people in person he was managing pretty well.

Sarah had been asleep for nearly three hours without a sign of life apart from her temperature and her heart rate. He woke her quietly and she opened her eyes a little. The man put a hand under her head, titling her face just a little bit. With his free hand he took the spoon out of the bowl and fed her carefully. Sarah swallowed it quietly every time he brought the spoon to her lips. It took him quite long before he had managed to feed her enough. After that long time he sighed, put the spoon in the empty bowl and refreshed the cloth on her forehead.

Jare was whining softly in the kitchen. Making Jareth rise and walk over to the complaining animal. He found the dog sitting near the bin, looking at him with puppy eyes. "Well?" The dog barked and looked behind the bin. Jareth sighed took away the bin and saw the animal grabbing a very small yellow ball. It was obvious this wasn't his - if he didn't watch out he could swallow it.

However, Jare walked to the living room, making a curious Goblin King follow in his footsteps. The man had to admit that he was touched by the action he witnessed. The young canine lay the ball besides the picture, cried softly and walked to a dark corner of the room where he lie down.

The man went to the kitchen. All the fuss with Sarah and Fizz had kept him from dinner and his stomach was making him that quite clear. When he spotted the empty dog bowl he filled it halfway, not sure how much the dog needed and if it would like to eat anyway. 

He ate his cheese sandwich at a table in the kitchen quietly, while looking silently down at his glass of milk. He heard a few soft sounds come from the woman that was dealing with the violent illness. He quickly ate the last part of his sandwich and gulped the last part of his milk, putting the dishes in the sink for later. With big steps he walked towards the couch and put the cloth on her forehead in the bucket. "Jare, come on." He lifted Sarah in his arms and watched how Jare obediently did as he was told, picking up the bucket. The man walked up the stairs and laid her down on what he guessed to be her bed. 

He knew she wouldn't like this, but considering he couldn't use his magic he gathered some clothing which he guessed to be her nightwear and carefully stripped her down to her underwear, willing himself not to get distracted. Jareth tucked her in, putting one extra blanket over her and pushing it under her matrass to keep her from pushing it away.

He saw a blue leather bound book from the corner of his eye and picked it up. With graceful golden writing it said _'The Tale of the Goblin King'_. This was most interesting. On the bottom of the book he saw her name in printing. He flipped the book around, seeing a lovely picture of Sarah on top, underneath a text which described the summary.

_'After feeling the cruel pain of rejection, the magical Fae, the Goblin King, decides there's only one way to save face._

_By the time that the girl had developed into a twenty five your old woman, the Goblin King decides to strike where most women are the weakest - in the hearts. With seduction, adventure and fantasy he tries to pull her into his arms. Will he succeed to get his revenge on the girl that broke everything that was loved by him?_

_What is his tempting, cheating brother doing in the world of the mortals?_

_'The Tale of the Goblin King' is a sequel to the ancient, rare book 'The Labyrinth', which appeared in 1857 with only two copies and no known author.'_

"Interesting." Jareth murmured. He put the book down, thanked Jare for carrying the bucket and put the cloth on her forehead. "Goodnight, Sarah." He bowed, took her hand and put a kiss on her knuckles. The man grabbed the book and left the room to search for a place to sleep, Jare following in his footsteps.

The Goblin King had settled in a room on the opposite side of the allway. It was a quite small room but it had a decent bed. One of the biggest needs at the moment. He stripped off his shirt, pulled off his boots, put the blue book under his pillow and lie down in bed, exhausted. Tomorrow there would be a new day. The dog jumped onto the bed, curling up besides Jareth's hip. The man stroked the dog with a smile, which faded when he looked through the hallway to Sarah's room.

Sleep took over in less then two minutes.


	4. *Chapter 4

Sarah opened her eyes, feeling hot to the touch even to her own hands. She kicked off the sheets and sighed. Then she noticed a cloth resting on her fore head. With a heavy grunt she threw it through the room, looking at the clock and jumping up. "Ten past eleven? How did that happen?!" The woman felt how the blood rushed to her head and she staggered. After shaking her head she walked towards her closet and dressed quickly. Did she even close up the shop yesterday?

She felt filthy for not showering but she was more then four hours late already. She would hsve to skin breakfast, she needed to go to the shop. This seemed like a bad omen; it was going to be a rough day. Which should have bothered her if she wouldn't have felt so ill. Her head was throbbing and her stomach burned violently. "Did I drink last night?" Her voice was slurred and it seemed almost unrecognizable to her. Sarah walked towards the stairs and just before she could take the first step her head spun. "Goddammit!" The woman shook her head and walked downstairs. "Jare, Fizz, come on! We are terribly late!"

Sarah waited for a few seconds but both dogs were nowhere to be seen. "Jare! Fizz! Come on guys!" Still there was no sound, movement or any other sign that the dogs were here.

The woman groaned and decided to keep the dogs at home for once. She grabbed her keys, stepped outside and closed the door behind her. Sarah rested against the car weakly, her legs nearly giving out. She was absolutely sure she had never felt this miserable.

"Sarah? What are you doing outside?" The deep voice sounded upset. As she turned to the man he was already besides her. "Get in - you're not going to work today."

Suddenly recognition burned through a veil in her head. "Jareth? What the hell are you doing here? What happened to your hair and clothes?" She looked down at the dark young canine. "And what gives you the right to kidnap my dogs? Where's Fizz?" The woman narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Jare was being very active so I took him out for a walk. Sarah, what the hell happened to you? I don't know where Fizz is, you took him out with you yesterday returning without him." Jareth grabbed her wrist and led her back inside.

"Let go of me!" Sarah pulled free, another wave of dizziness washing over her. "I would never let Fizz behind! Where is my dog?" She was confused and the fuss made her feel nauseous. "Wait - do you know what I drank last night? This is awefull."

"Sarah you're sick." Jareth lifted her, carrying her to her bedroom. "Put your pajamas back on, I already visited Selma to tell you were sick. I'll be back with some broth in a few minutes." He turned to leave but Sarah grabbed his wrist.

"Jareth... I don't know what's going on but..." Her voice broke and her grip tightened. "Where's my dog?"

The man looked at her with sad eyes, sat down on the bed besides her and looked at her. When he sighed and looked at his lap she felt pain course through her body. "He's at rest now, Sarah." The woman started to sob and put her hands over her face. The Goblin King wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Why would I forget such a thing?" She put her hands on his shoulders, her nails digging in his flesh and she buried her face in the black turtleneck he wore.

As much as Jareth wanted to comfort her, he needed to let go of her. She needed food, warmth and rest to recover from her illness. "Try to spare your voice. You already lost part of your voice from crying yesterday. I'm going to make you some broth. Put on your pajamas - the shirt and the pants - and crawl under both blankets." The man raised and left the room. Sarah pushed away the tears on her face with her palm. She wanted to bury herself in her bed while thinking of her sweetheart dog.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Sarah had been sleeping the entire day after she finished her meal. Her temperature was still dangerously high and it seemed like the color and youth were slowly being consumed by the virus within her. Jareth sighed heavily, refreshing the cloth on her forehead. He walked towards his room and grabbed the blue leather bound book. Jare had been around him the entire time, keeping an eye on him and Sarah. When Jareth settled in a big chair in Sarah's room the dog jumped on his lap and curled up like a cat. The Goblin King stroked him once and flipped open the book.

The Tale of the Goblin King.


	5. *Chapter 5

The sun had already disappeared behind the mountains in the distance and Jareth was reading The Tale of The Goblin King at Sarah's side. His legs lay stretched out before him, crossed ankles. The woman had snuggled against him restlessly. His palm rested over her forehead and he felt that her fever had been fading. The dog was sleeping soundlessly at his feet, his head resting on Jareth's ankles.

He had hated animals just a day or two ago, now he had to admit he felt quite content with the dog lying at his feet.

His attention got pulled back to the book. Suddenly Sarah stirred at his side. Before she opened her eyes she curled up just a little bit more against his side. Her green eyes looked hazy, slightly feverish and a little bit dull. Her eyes shifted to the man's face but no words came from her lips.

"Feeling better Sarah?" His fingers raked leisurely through her soft hair.

"A little bit. How long have I been asleep?" Sarah pushed herself away from Jareth and sat up straight.

The man shrugged. "About an hour or five, before that you have been awake for five minutes."

"I can't even remember wakening up. Did you find out anything about your mission yet?"

"No, I have been around you nearly every minute since you came back home. I have been contacting Selma with your cellphone to tell her you were ill. She visited today and she hoped you would be well soon. The girl doesn't expect you to come to work tomorrow."

The woman sighed. "No, I want to go to work tomorrow. How did you find out how to use my cell?" 

"I can read. I found the manual in your bookcase and Selma's number in your agenda. I'll go and prepare dinner, it shouldl be ready in... say half an hour. Rest." He ordered as he got up.

"I don't want to, I've been in bed two days." Sarah kicked away the covers, her arms stubbornly behind her head.

Jareth laughed, pulled the covers back up. "How about this then, you stay in bed until dinner is ready, then you get downstairs, and eat your dinner on the couch." His eyes flashed to the blankets and then back at her. "_With_ the covers."

"Okay. But I'm not going straight back to bed after that. I want to watch a movie."

"Then a movie it is. I'll see you in half an hour." The Goblin King pressed a small kiss on her forehead. "Now rest." The man then turned and left the room.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Sarah heard Jareth call that dinner was ready. The sun had already made way for the stars and a big full moon. The woman walked downstairs and stopped as soon as she entered the living room. Her jaw dropped in disbelief when she saw lit candles spread through the room and roses in a crystal vase on the table. Sarah nestled herself on the couch and took in the room, which was normally so polished and modern, but now softened and cosy.

As soon as Jareth entered the room filled with a delicious scent and it made her curious what was for dinner. He sat down in a fluid motion and handed her the plate. After that he filled two glasses with water, placing one at her side of the table. "Enjoy your dinner, pet." The woman looked down at the steak, potatoes and vegetables and grew distant. "Is there something wrong, Sarah?"

"What?" She looked up at him and shook her head, looking down at her dinner again. "It just feels so weird that you're here."

"You need to eat Sarah, don't let it get cold. I have something nice for dessert during the movie."

Fifteen minutes later Sarah had finished dinner, thinking that she'd had never eaten something that tasted this good. Jareth brought the dishes to the kitchen where he cleaned them with the task for Sarah to pick a movie.

When he returned ten minutes later he was holding two big sorbets in his hands. "Behold the celebration of your good health." The Goblin King put down the two sorbets on the table. "Just to be sure we need to check if your temperature is normal again." He picked up a medical thermometer from the table - which Sarah hadn't spotted earlier - pulled off the small plastic top and turned it on. "I used it more often when you were asleep. I cleaned it, don't worry." The man bent to her, rested the tip on her lower lip and watched how she opened her mouth obediently. After a few seconds he watched the temperature and he grinned. "Splendid, your temperature is back to normal." The Goblin King took the thermometer out of her mouth and went into the kitchen to clean it.

Before Sarah could actually grasp what the hell was happening he was sitting beside her again. "So what did you pick to watch?"

"Um..." The woman shrugged. "We could look in the TV guide for something. It's almost a half past eight so most movies start now." She grabbed the TV guide from the table and searched for a movie. "There's a horror movie that starts in fifteen minutes..." She said after a few seconds and looked at him uncertainly.

"That sounds like fun." The Goblin King decided and took his desert.

Sarah turned on the TV, went to the right channel and took her ice cream. She snuggled into the blankets even when she didn't have to anymore. "Jareth?" The woman asked carefully and took a bite from her sorbet.

"Yes darling?" 

"For how long will it be like this? I mean, that you're here and stuff." Her eyes didn't rise to his but kept glued to the ice in front of her. Sarah jumped when she felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her to him slightly. Her eyes were still pinned to her desert.

"As long you wish for me to stay." He grinned. "And probably a while after that."

Sarah didn't know whether to like that or to dislike it. One thing was certain, the time to come wouldn't be boring with a Goblin King at her side.

Ten minutes later they had finished their desserts, the movie hadn't started start yet. Jareth made himself comfortable on the couch. His arms were now draped over the back, his back slackened, his legs stretched and his ankles crossed. Sarah, however, was tense. She didn't back away from him as far as possible, but she was sitting with her legs pulled up and her arms wrapped around her knees protectively nonetheless.

The movie was about a man and a woman whom met each other when going on a cruise. The whole crew and the passengers disappeared mysteriously and the cruise ship stopped at a mysterious dark island covered in thick fog, soft winds that made the trees rustle and small light spots. The couple found a deserted town. Of course they only had a very small flashlight so many things remained unseen. It got a bit boring after that. They just kept wondering around the island to find help but they couldn't find anyone. She remembered seeing some dark vampire figures...

Jareth didn't like the movie much. He had seen vampires and they really weren't this timid or had such an urge to hide in the dark shadows. Something the Goblin king actually liked to do. His eyes shifted to the woman beside him when he felt something lean against his shoulder.

The man smiled as he saw she had fallen asleep and he lifted her in his arms very carefully not to wake her and walked upstairs, laying her down in her bed. Jareth tucked her in like he had done often these past days and looked down at her. "One of these days, Sarah..." He whispered softly and studied her relaxed face. "I may not be able to stop myself from holding you in my arms. And once I have you, I'll never let you go again."

The man left the room, locked the house and turned off all the lights. He'd love to make Sarah his queen and have her ruling at his side, he thought silently. Though after she refused him she sealed their fate, they could never be together. Fae were merciless punishers, they didn't tolerate mistakes. He walked to his own room, stripping off his shirt and pants and flopping down on his bed.


	6. *Chapter 6

Sarah got pulled out of her deep sleep when the scent of toast drifted into her room. The woman jumped out of bed, collected a few clothes and jumped into the bathroom for a quick shower.

She hadn't noticed how sore her muscles were, how tangled her hair and how neglected her skin. With the lack of time she used more shampoo then necessary, was more violent with her comb and shaved and soaped her skin quite impatiently.

Within ten minutes she stepped back out of the shower, suddenly feeling like she had been reborn. The woman dressed. Sarah didn't know why she was this happy, maybe it was just an energy boost after her illness.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Jareth dropped Sarah's breakfast on a plate and put it on the table besides a glass of milk. When he stepped out of the kitchen to call for her, throwing the spatula he had been using on the worktop, he felt something hit in his chest. Sarah bumped against him, his hand helped her steady herself and he raised one eyebrow. "Good morning darling. I was about to call you for breakfast."

The woman giggled and took a step back. "I got ahead of you."

He inclined his head. "Yes I can see that. You're so happy this morning, what made you so well tempered?"

"I have no idea." She confessed with a wide grin. "Maybe I'm just happy I'm back healthy again..." Sarah felt his hand pushing softly against her back, guiding her to her chair. The woman sat down obediently and stretched her muscles lazily. "So..." Sarah started and cocked his head, looking at him. "What are you going to do today? Apart from getting some clothes."

Jareth grinned, sat down in front of her and took a sip from his glass of milk. "Well, I could steal Jare from your side for a walk. I haven't seen everything in town yet. Therewith, I think Jare would be glad to get rid of some of his energy." They both looked at the black dog which was lying under the table.

"Do you prefer me to come to your shop right away or later this day?"

"As soon as possible. You didn't actually think I'd let you walk with clothes like that for any longer did you?"

His head tilted to one side as he seductively murmured. "I believe you actually like outfits like these. I have seen you looking."

Her cheeks flushed. "Come on, time to go. We'll talk about your future job today." He watched as she threw her breakfast away and headed for the car to go to work. He went after her quickly.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Selma kept her lips sealed, making sure she wouldn't get involved with the other two. The girl wondered what was going on between that man and her boss. Her blue eyes shot to the intimidating blond and looked away quickly as he noticed her staring.

"Get in there we're going to get you some clothes." Sarah pulled him from a wall and shoved him rudely to a dressing room, walking to the men's section.

The young red haired girl hurried over to Sarah and decided to ask while the tall man wasn't near. "Ma'am who is that man?"

"He's a bit lost and I decided to help him." She looked to the clothes a bit helplessly. "Could you help me a bit I'm getting stressed of his ego." Selma smiled and looked critically to the clothes.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) )) 

"This should work. Put them on and show them to me."

When a throat cleared behind them they turned around. Iit didn't seem to matter what he wore - he looked good no matter what. "You never actually wore real human clothes did you?" She closed the buttons higher up, lifted up his collar properly and put, without thinking, his shirt in his pants.

When the woman realized what she was doing she quickly put the rest in the right place, straightened his jacket and modeled his hair. "There, I could actually get used to this. My very own Ken doll." Sarah muttered.

"Oh... Don't forget your appointment with mister Ilawn tonight, ma'am." Selma said carefully. "He had been visiting to tell you but well, you were ill."

"I forgot about that." The woman groaned and went to get some coffee. "Well at least I have a reason to keep him from me again. I'd love to have a reason to tell Gaz I can't make it..."  
  
"You could always tell him that you have to take care of your friend." Selma said while shooting a quick glance towards Jareth.

"Sel, look at him." She held out her hand to him. "He's a grown man, do you actually think Gaz would fall for that?"

"Ma'am, it's just for an hour or two. After that you can just tell him that he's not your type." The girl shrugged. "Or you can go to the toilet after ten minutes and sneak away."

"No that's just cruel. Therewith – he knows I'm the owner of this shop and he knows where I live. He'll come and search for me. He had waited for nearly eight years – he's not going to give up easily now. Therewith – it could become a marvelous date, and if it will be, I'll have a boyfriend to spend some time with." Suddenly a sharp flash jumped through the air outside, immediately followed by a loud crackling rumble. The girls both jumped and looked outside. "I know weather changes quickly here but this is ridiculous! It was sunny and cloudless literally six seconds ago!" She didn't know why but her eyes shot to Jareth. He seemed to be perfectly calm, his face a relaxed marble statue, hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't look at her or moved in anyway, he didn't even seem to breathe. A few more thunderbolts followed and for a few seconds the three of them were completely silent. Sarah still wondered if Jareth had something to do with it. It was just so strange that it changed so suddenly.

Carefully Sarah tried to break the tension by stretching her muscles and sighing. "Well no matter what, I'll have to go tonight."

"I think you should give me your key then so I can just go home." Jareth said just as casually.

"No," Sarah objected. "Here's some money so you can go eat somewhere. A half past ten at my house." She handed him some money. "I know, why don't you get yourself a date as well?" Her eyes shot to Selma and the girl became bright red.

"No! He's old enough to date with you but he's more then eight years older then I am, at least! My mother is going to have a heart attack!"

"It's just for one evening. Don't worry about him being annoying – I'll kick him out of my house when he's being a jerk. I'll call you after dinner – and hey, another plus – you don't have to pay for it." She inclined her head and pouted. "Please? I'll give you two days off if you'll do this for me..."

Selma looked to her boss and gritted her teeth. "Fine."

Sarah's face lit up and she hugged her. "Thank you, Sel!"

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

The day passed quietly. Literally. Jareth and Selma felt very uncomfortable and she had noticed Jareth was a little angry with her. It seemed that the shop was beginning to attract people from further distances. The amount of customers seemed to be rising steadily. Sarah wouldn't get cocky about this, however – she'd love to have two weeks off. The woman would like to get out of town for a while to just forget about the shop for a while.

"Hey Sel I was just thinking... I think I'd like to go on vacation... It has been two years since I had some time off. Do you think it's a wise idea to take two weeks off?" Sarah asked when she filled the shelves.

"I think my mother could use some help."

"Well it's settled then. Let's close the shop – Gaz will be here in five minutes. Jareth, are you ready to go?" Sarah asked as she pushed the half empty box under the shelves.

"Yes. Can't you just give me the key? If her mother sees her she's going to sue me for pedophilia or something."

"Really Jareth – you can say whatever you want but you don't get the key. I've taken Selma out to dinner for many times – does that instantly make me a lesbian? Don't be such a baby. It's just for two hours and that you dine together doesn't mean that you're dating. Go to the same place as us if you really feel that insecure about this – call me when you think you can bear no more or just grow up. You act like Selma is the witch of an evil empire. She is a doll so you should praise yourself lucky that I trust you enough to take care of her. Take the dog with you if you don't feel safe." With that she moved from the corner of the room, finding Gaz waiting nervously for her at the counter.

"Hi Sarah!" The black haired guy almost cheered. He rushed to her side and grinned happily, holding out his arm. "Ready to go?"

The woman shot a last glance towards Jareth whom didn't look at her, then her eyes shifted to the brown eyed bundle of nerves and took his arm. "Yes, Gaz. I'm ready, let's go."


	7. *Chapter 7

Sarah and Gaz walked over the street. The sun was setting and painted the air in beautiful colors of red, purple and orange. Gaz had dressed himself in a black jeans, dark blue sneakers and a white, loose blouse. He looked actually pretty good.

Sarah looked down. Dressed in a black skirt, light blue top and blue heels. Well that was just the first thing – they were dressed completely different. Even if they both looked good.

"Where did you plan to go?" The woman asked curiously when he rounded a corner.

Gaz looked at her, still that wide smile plastered on his face. "I was planning on taking you the Italian restaurant – is that okay?" He smile become a bit uncertain.

Sarah almost laughed – he acted as if he took the president out for dinner. "Of course, I haven't been there in a long time and I like the menu. But really – you don't have to be this tense, I'm not going to bite you if something goes wrong."

A cute apologetic grin spread over his face and he looked down. "Thank god – I don't really like vampires."

Sarah shot him a weird look but started to laugh as he grinned playfully at her. "Yeah – glad it's not a full moon tonight." She said when she looked up to the moon.

The rest of their way to the restaurant had been silent, sometimes flashing a glance to the other before looking back again. Gaz held open the door for her as they reached it, leading her inside with a hand on her back.

A small woman walked over to them and smiled sweetly. "Good evening sir, good evening madame. A table for two?" Gaz agreed politely. "Follow me." She instructed as she held out her hand.

Sarah looked around. The place was filled with candles, red, white and black roses and small cabins, red soft clad couches bent into a circle and even a few violin playing gentlemen. 

They got led to a cabin and Gaz waited for Sarah to take place first. The woman slid down on the couch, straightening her skirt slightly. Gaz sat down as well and the waitress took a small notebook and a pen. "What would you like to drink tonight?"

Gaz looked expectantly to her and Sarah looked at the older woman. "A water please." Gaz nodded, mentioning that he wanted the same, the woman left after she gave the menu's.

"Would you like a starter?" Gaz asked carefully.

Sarah still found it funny that he was so nervous. She smiled and shook her head. "No thank you, I'm not really hungry."

Gaz blushed – something that made Sarah uncomfortable – girls should blush, not guys. "No me neither. What would you like?"

The woman looked at the menu, her eyes raking over the different kind of dishes. "Eh, I think I'm going to get myself macaroni. What are you going to choose?" She really hoped he would choose something different this time – his kind of childish behavior was just getting a little bit annoying.

''I think spaghetti – a friend said they were quite creative with it here." Gaz smiled, calming down a bit. It was clear that Sarah was glad he was calming down, she hated shy guys.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Jareth felt really awkward when Selma closed the shop, and he could see the girl wasn't comfortable either. "Where would you like to go?"

Selma looked up at him, put her keys away and shrugged. "Um – I don't know. We could go to the beach. Sarah and I sometimes go there to let Jare get rid of all his energy. It's just ten minutes by foot."

They started to walk silently – neither of them knowing what to say. Jare listened to Jareth obediently and waited crossing the road until he got permission. Jare didn't care about them feeling uncomfortable – the scent of salt water became more strong in the air and made him eager. As he saw that the two humans took the path his owner always took he started to jump impatiently, dancing on his feet and yelping softly.

Jareth saw Jare looking at him every second, his eyes pleading be allowed to run ahead and play in the sand and the water. The Goblin King grinned, stroked the dog once over its length and looked forward. "Go ahead." As the dog heard his playful tone he cried happily and ran away so quickly that he nearly tripped over his own paws.

When they reached the beach Jare had already run past the entire beach two times – not that the beach was that small – it stretched out for around a mile to each side. The dog had found a piece of wood that got washed ashore and he ran towards Jareth happily, prancing with a stick that was actually way too big to fit in his mouth. He jumped around the Fae, encouraging him to take the stick and throw it away. The Goblin King took the piece of wood and threw it away.

"Wow! That was far!" Selma said suddenly, shocked when she saw that the probably half rotten wood touched the ground for the first time after nearly half a mile.

Suddenly Jareth realized he had to cover up his greater strength that was part of him because he was Fae. "Must have been the wind that took it that far."

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Sarah and Gaz reached her house and she took her keys. Gaz put one arm in front of her so she couldn't get in yet. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Sarah?"

"Um, yeah, it was nice." She looked at him. He had loosened up in the evening and he was becoming a little bit demanding now.

"Good enough to go out another time?" He pressed.

The woman looked at his arm and shrugged. "Perhaps." He leaned forward and Sarah managed to duck away before he could reach her. "Gaz stop it!" Sarah frowned and pushed him back.

"It's only a goodnight kiss, Sarah." He said with a smile and tried again.

He should have succeeded, was it not for the leather clad hand that closed around the back of his neck. The black haired guy struggled to get free but failed. Jareth pushed him against the wall roughly and bowed over him, murmuring dangerously in his ear. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you." His fingers tensed in the man's neck when Gaz tried to kick back. The brown eyed mortal gasped and cringed. "If you know what's good for you you'd better leave Sarah alone or I'd have to take measurements. And you don't want that, do you?" The Goblin King directed him to the street and threw him to the ground.

Gaz coughed, gripping to his throat and turned around. "You freak! I'll send the cops after you!" The man got up clumsily and ran away quickly.

Jareth looked to Sarah if she was comfortable and turned towards the red haired girl after that. "Sarah was right, I was lucky to spend some time with a girl like you." The man smirked as Selma became bright red, looking down. He cupped her chin and directed her eyes to his. "Goodnight Selma." He pressed a friendly kiss on her forehead and went inside.

The two woman were both shocked about what happened, Sarah feeling something nagging in her chest. "Um, see you tomorrow, Sel. Bye." Selma bit her lip, waved and walked away quickly.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Sarah walked inside quietly, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. Why had that felt so wrong? She went to the living room, seeing Jareth play with Jare, whom was obviously quite tired.

The Goblin King tickled the dog's belly while sitting on the ground, Jare snapping at him and biting him in the hands playfully, causing no damage. The man grinned and the dog whined like he was giggling.

"Jareth?" Sarah called him – only noticing she did so after she saw him looking up and holding Jare back. It frustrated how vulnerable it sounded and obviously Jareth didn't understand. He raised, straightening his clothes and walking over to her. "Yes, Sarah?"

The woman looked away with parted lips, not having an idea why she called him. "Um, how was your evening?"

The man smiled and sat down on the couch. "I must say she was really shy, but she loosened up a bit later in the evening. We went to the beach with Jare. For the first time I've seen an Aboveground sunset , really interesting it is, it goes so slowly here. We ate something called French fries and it wasn't even that bad. How was yours?"

Sarah sat down besides him, as far as possible and shrugged. "Well in the beginning he was so shy he barely said something, he kept repeating my actions but when we finished dinner he suddenly became pushy – so you could say that it was... not really the worst." The woman said with another shrug. She stiffened as she felt his fingers rake through her hair and she lifted her eyes to his. They were watching her closely.

"Don't worry, Precious." He smiled gave her a small hug and raised, walking to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee as well?"

Sarah raised and went to the kitchen. "Eh, yes please."

After five minutes he handed her a cup and took a sip from his own. "To be honest I could see that he would become a mistake as soon as I saw him. I saw wrong intentions in his eyes – but he just pretended to be as shy as hell."

The woman frowned at him. "You did? Why didn't you tell me?"

He grinned at her. "Just because I had to possibility to prevent you from making mistakes doesn't mean I have the right to."

Was he seriously lecturing her? She – whom had lived her entire life in the Above had to listen to a lecture from a man whom was less then a week in this world? For a few minutes it was silent, both drinking their coffee. Jareth finished it first, and when Sarah finished it they put the cups away and she muttered softly. "I'd have liked it if you had told me." He looked at her, inclining his head. "It has always been that way – that's why." She frowned and wanted to walk away but he trapped her between his arms. Sarah looked up at him questioningly.

"I have lived for a while, Sarah mine. And I know how to read people, especially humans. I can see you are confused and frustrated. Why is that, dearest?" She looked at him, not answering. Suddenly a smirk spread on his face. "Ah, Precious Thing, you don't happen to be jealous do you?" The woman widened her eyes and then narrowed them, ready to start hissing at him. However, she froze when he pressed a kiss on her cheek. He felt the temperature in her cheeks raise and he smiled slightly. "Nothing to be afraid of, dearest." With a casual pace he walked to the stairs and went upstairs. "Goodnight, love."

Now Sarah was confused.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Jareth was reading from the Tale of the Goblin King when he heard on a soft knock."Yes?" He closed the book, keeping one finger on the right page. When Sarah stepped in he inclined his head. She was wearing a short black nightgown with lace edgings, that reached until halfway her tights. This certainly would become interesting. "Good evening, Sarah mine. What can I do for you?"

She sat down at the foot of his bed, backing away a little bit as he shoved close to her. Sarah looked around. "Why do you use candles instead of the light?"

"I can't really stand lamps. It's why I always turn off the light before taking a wished away child. When I just became Goblin King I didn't turn them off and found myself weaken more and more every second that I got exposed to this kind of light. But I believe that's not why you came here, is it?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I wanted to thank you for taking measures with Gaz..." It wasn't quite easy for her to tell that she appreciated what he did for her – that he was being _generous_, but she wasn't planning on being the ungrateful brat either. Her eyes fell down to her lap and she bit her lower lip slightly. "And I want to thank you for taking care of me when I needed it. I'm used to taking care of my own, because no one helped me – besides the adventure in the Labyrinth. I always struggled for myself, making sure I would get back on the horse when I was sick or feeling depressed, drag myself through college and well... My dad or Karen never gave me 'the talk', so I had to research for it myself." She giggled a bit clumsily. "Those are just a few examples, though. It made me strong and made me who I am. I need to get used to see other people working for me – without having to make a promise I will pay them." Sarah looked up at him, seeing that he was looking at her quietly. "So, to make a long story short, you're about the first one that helped me for free. Thank you." The woman looked down sideways before she raised. Then she leaned closer and pressed a kiss on his high cheekbone. "Goodnight, Jareth. Don't worry about waking up tomorrow early, you can stay at home."

The Goblin King adored her night clothing, he was a bit surprised she thanked him and the careful kiss on his cheek had invited the villain to try to get more. He grabbed her wrist, raised and pulled her in an embrace. "If you'd like to have help in the past all you had to do was call, Sarah." He leaned closer to her ear. "And, pray tell, what did you find out about 'the talk'?"

Sarah put her hands against his chest to push him away.

He grinnedand pressed a kiss on her palm, smirking when she pulled it back quickly. "If you would allow me – I'd like to thank you for letting me stay here." He leaned down and pressed a tender, kiss on her cheek - one much more meaningful than the one she got just a little earlier. The Goblin King felt her knees weaken and he held her with a smug grin, his cheek pressed against hers and his eyes closed.

Sarah needed a moment to stable herself, shocked that she had reacted so violently at that. She felt it tickling in her stomach. "Eh... okay. I'm going to bed now." She quickly let out a breath she hadn't noticed keeping and left without looking at him again.


	8. *Chapter 8

Sarah had managed to get downstairs in exactly the right time. Jareth welcomed her when she entered the kitchen, her breakfast already done. Jareth grinned as Sarah looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "Why are you this happy?"

"Is it bothering you?" The man asked while inclining his head and smiling slightly.

The woman shrugged. "Well, I rather want you happy then throwing around the furniture, I guess." She ate her breakfast in silence while she watched how the man fed and petted her dog. "Jareth, what are you up to?" She asked a little bit annoyed and confused.

"What do you mean, Precious?" He cleaned the brush and lay it away, leaning against the wall.

"I don't understand why you are acting like this – it makes me nervous! You're supposed to be cold, arrogant and sarcastic!"

The Goblin King smirked. "Why would I be like that? I have no need to be a villain. Therewith it was just my part in the play you set up. I have never been like that..." He frowned, then a big grin spread on his face again. "Well – actually I can be like that, but it's a rare occasion." The man cocked his head playfully. "Why? Would you like me to become naughty?"

"You'd better not." Sarah looked down at his clothing and crossed her arms. "How did you get last year's summer collection?"

"I found it on the attic. I went for a hunting trip at midnight because I couldn't sleep." He said with a snort. "Why, don't you like it?"

"I didn't say that." She replied just a little bit too quickly. "I, um... I've got to go to work. I'll see you later... Oh, and..." The woman put her hand in her pocket and pulled it back out, holding a small silver key. "I don't want to force you to sit inside all day, so... here's the key. Lose it, and you will die."

Jareth smiled, took the key and put it in his pocket. "Thank you, Sarah. Have a nice day at work." His hand lifted to her shoulder and his lips pressed on the same spot as yesterday, making Sarah feel weak in her knees. She left quickly, leaving Jare behind on purpose.

The day was as boring as could be, Selma had asked a day off because her mother's illness had gotten worse. So, at the moment, there was no one there except Sarah. She sighed deeply, leaning with one arm on the counter with her head resting on her hand.

The woman had even managed to already plan and make reservation for her two weeks off. But it turned out she could only go one week instead of two, and she felt uncomfortable with the idea that Jareth was going with her. She definitely wouldn't let him alone in her home for an entire week. Sarah made reservation for a small cabin. One she had kept her vacation in more often. It wasn't a real luxury, but it was at the edge of a beach and a forest, the perfect place to relax and let Jare be the energetic, young dog he was. It was a miracle that it wasn't already taken by someone else.

If this silence would go on for _another_ minute she would either become mad or she would close the shop. Even if it was just three o'clock in the afternoon.

Like some evil, arrogant angel Jareth appeared behind the window of the store, looking down to something she couldn't see because of the big sticker with her logo on it. He turned at the door, opening it and letting in Jare before he entered himself. "Good afternoon Sarah." The Goblin King walked over to her and leaned on the counter in front of her.

She was so glad there was someone to talk to. Sarah frowned when he leaned close to her and she backed away a little. "Hi."

"I got bored at home. I already ate, played with Jare and went through your panties."

"You what?!" Sarah yelped and jumped up, her hands on her sides.

The man laughed, rising and walking around the counter. "I was just kidding Sarah... I've already searched those the first day I came here. Anyway, I had some fun in the kitchen and took it with me." He lifted a brown paper bag and put it on the counter.

The woman pushed with two hands against his chest. "You're such a pervert! Stay out of my private stuff! I'm not searching through _your_ stuff, am I?"

"Would you like to? What would you search for?" Jareth stepped closer, trapping her against the counter. "Would you take something?"

Sarah blushed and narrowed her eyes at him. "No!" Suddenly her eyes became bigger and she pushed him back a little. "You didn't... Please tell me you didn't... actually... take something..."

He shrugged nonchalantly and turned his head away from her, looking at the woman from the corner of his eye. "Search me."

"Oh god!" She brought her hand to her face and hid her face in it. "You can be such a pain... I'm going to check them and I _will_ know what you took from me. I mean, come on, I didn't wish it away did I?!"

Then he laughed, a sound or genuine amusement ringing through the store like music. Not sarcastic, not evil, just a pure sound of merriment. "You actually thought I would take that seriously? Darling, I wouldn't hesitate to fulfill your wishes, but I doubt you would wish away your undergarments and make me believe that you really didn't want them... Only to say you didn't mean it and that they would be so scared in the castle beyond the Goblin City..."

Sarah looked at him, then she started to laugh, suddenly all her anger gone. She pushed him against his chest, playful this time and continued laughing. The woman noticed that he was watching her closely so she calmed herself down. "So, what did you do in the kitchen?" Her voice suddenly curious. The Goblin King took the brown paper bag, opened it and took out a brownie. She looked at it in surprise and then looked at him. He handed it over and urged her to taste it. "I don't trust it – I don't like to hallucinate again – once in a lifetime is enough."

"I've cooked for you more then once and you didn't complain - why are you now?"

"Well I used to eat a lot of peaches before the Labyrinth and it happens that brownies are my new favorite – I don't want to ruin it."

He rolled his eyes, took her hand and lay the brownie on it. "Trust me Sarah – why would I poison you now anyway? It isn't any use to me and I'll get kicked out of the house personally if I'd dare to poison you."

"Yeah you would." His eyes caught hers and were pinning her to the spot, without words she could understand him. "Fine I'll eat it." Sarah lifted it to her mouth and took a small bite. After tasting and swallowing it she pushed it back in his hand, looking away from him.

"Is it bad?"

The woman looked into his eyes and the truth slipped from her lips before she could stop herself. "No they are too damn good." She blinked in shock that she said that, just like Jareth.

"Great." He smirked and put the brownie on the counter. He went to the door and called Jare.

"Wait – you're going to leave?" The woman asked utterly frustrated.

The man turned around and raised one eyebrow. "Well, I was planning to – why?"

"Could you... stay? I'm a bit lonely..." Sarah didn't look at him as she said this, biting her lip. 

"If you wish me to." He agreed while Sarah was eating the rest of the brownie.

Sarah informed Jareth of their vacation, telling what it looked like, how long they would be there and other things like that. He became very eager to get there and for him Sunday couldn't come soon enough.

The woman had locked her store after a last call to Selma, had gone home and was sitting on the chair now. Jareth was reading some blue book while lying outstretched on the couch and Sarah investigated it. "Hey wait a minute!" The woman yelled. "That's my book! Where did you get it?!" She raised and walked towards him to get it back.

"I saw it lying in your room when you were sick and I got curious." He raised his eyes from the lines, closing the book with one finger between the pages.

"Well I don't want you to read it so give it back!"

"Come and get it then." He smirked and held the book besides his head. He saw her narrowing her eyes and stomping to him. When she was standing at his hips she held her hand out. "Don't take it for granted that I'm just going to give it to you. I just started with the part where they are going to share the bed."

Sarah became very pale and very red in the cheeks. "I was twenty and hormonal – now give it back!" The woman tried to snatch it out of his hand but he pulled it up, making her bend over him to reach for the book. She bent even farther but she still couldn't get close enough to grab it. Sarah yelled when an arm wrapped around her and pulled her on him. Her cheeks became bright red.

"Would you like to read along?" The Goblin King murmured silkily in her ear. They both were very aware of the situation and Sarah started to struggle. She rolled off him, landing on the ground on her back, the thud knocked a little bit of breath out of her longues.

"Fine! Keep the damn book! But if you start reciting it I'll punch you in the face!"

The Goblin King turned to her and bowed over her, only a few inches away. Her expression turned from irritated to confused. "What would you like for dinner?"

She blinked. "Um, I don't know?"

He grinned and inclined his head. "Are you going to lie there all day?"

"No." Sarah jumped up and heard Jareth chuckle darkly. "Shut up!" The woman balled her hands to fists and walked upstairs just to get rid of him for the moment.

Jareth leaned against doorway, seeing the woman lying on her bed. In one hand she held some kind of book and in her other hand a pen. He pushed himself upright and walked towards her. With a fluid motion he sat down and crossed his ankles. "Sarah darling, wake up." He took the book and pen and put it in the drawer of her nightstand. The woman grunted and rolled onto her side, pulling up her legs and sighing softly. "Come on, you can sleep after dinner." The Goblin King inclined his head when she whispered his name and something unintelligible in her sleep and with a sigh he leaned closer and pressed a kiss on her cheek. "Princess, wake up."

She frowned slightly, stretched her legs and arms and turned onto her back, her lower body still on its side. "What? How long did I sleep?" Sarah rubbed through her eyes while sitting up straight.

"About two hours, I think. Did you feel ill?"

"Um, no... I think I was just daydreaming too much... I guess it got actual dreaming after a while..."

"You just talked in your sleep." The Goblin King grinned and raised, holding out a hand.

Sarah frowned, took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, after that she removed her hand from his. "Really? What did I say?"

"I couldn't hear everything," Jareth shrugged while walking downstairs. "But I heard you whispering my name." He opened the door for her and walked inside after she did.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Dinner was... awkward. He was obviously showing off his natural talent for cooking and Sarah had actually complemented his skills this time.

Now, however, Jareth had left with Jare for a walk and left her bored. There were several things that still needed to be done. Cleaning, paying bills and some other things which would take too much effort. With a heavy sigh, she lifted herself off the couch and started to clean the kitchen, hallway, bathroom, bedrooms and finally the living room. She started wondering where he was because already two hours had passed since he left.

He finally arrived when she just finished dusting off the furniture and she started picking up all Jare's toys that were spilled through the room. "Finally – I started to think that you kidnapped my darling Jare." The dog walked around her when she cleaned up his toys and licked her hand. After that he lie down in the kitchen to rest.

The Goblin King watched as she started to clean the floor with the hoover, and he figured the thing out quite soon. While sitting on the couch he saw how the black knee-reaching skirt moved a little bit when she was standing near the hoover and a predatory smirk spread over his face. Lazily he kicked the hoover slightly near her and his smirk broadened as the skirt flew up. Sarah around with horror on her face and pushed it away quickly.

"Jareth you annoying son of a -" The woman rolled it out of his reach when he once again nudged the thing closer. "Ja-reth, stop it!"

"Stop what, Sarah mine?"

"You know very well what I mean." It was after she said it and after he raised his eyebrow that she noticed she had sounded just like him a second ago.

Fortunately he didn't seem to care...

And unfortunately he went along with it in his own way...

The man wrapped his arm around her knees, pulling her against his chest and ripping a yell from her lips. "It's not fair is it?" Sarah looked even more confused now and she stepped out of his grasp, continuing to clean the floor.

When she was ready Jare was sleeping in the corner of the room and Jareth was sipping some wine. Sarah frowned and put her hands on her sides. "Where did you get that from?"

"I found it in the basement. Would you like some too?"

"Let me remind you that you are here because _I_ accepted to keep you here for a while. I could have just let you sleep on a bench in the park, but I've got enough respect for you to understand that you need a place to sleep, I'm even taking you with my on vacation!" The woman saw his jaw clench, his eyebrows pull together and his eyes narrow. "I could kick you out of my house **right now** \- no one else will be there for you. Next time you take anything else from me without asking you can grab your exploiting Fae-ass and get it behind _that_ door!" She pointed angerly towards the front door, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

For a few seconds they glared to each other, then suddenly Jareth raised, throwing Sarah off guard. _"Fine."_ He hissed through clenched teeth, he turned around and walked upstairs, walking in his room and closing the door behind him.

Sarah was angry at herself for letting it go this far. She possessed a few bottles of wine and he only took one glass and had asked her if he should pour her a glass as well. The weird thing was that she didn't even know why she was being so fierce about it – and she felt horrible for threatening to kick him out – the woman didn't plan on kicking him out even if he would get in trouble. She bit her lip, feeling upset and she looked towards the ceiling, almost as if she could see right into his room. It was completely silent and it made her curious what he was doing now. Silently she walked up the stairs.

The usually dull white door of the room he was behind now felt like the hound guarding his territory.

The woman inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, pushing down the handle and opening the door. The Goblin King was sitting on the bed, his back to her, while looking to the star filled sky. "J-Jareth?" Sarah swallowed and walked to him. He didn't answer her, didn't look at her and clenched his jaw. "Jareth, I-I didn't want to get mad at you like that." He didn't react and she sat down on the ground besides him. "Jareth," Sarah said softly and took his hand. "I'm really sorry, will you forgive me?"

The man looked down at her, his jaw still clenched. He sighed, relaxed and nodded silently. Sarah smiled a little and raised. "I'll be downstairs..." She pressed a small kiss on his cheek. "If you like you can come and have some wine with me." Sarah left quietly, wondering if he felt like coming down at all after what happened a minute or so ago.

The soft click of the door closing sounded behind her and she saw Jareth looking at her. She bit her lip and gave him a hug. The man hugged her back only slightly and she took a glass, filling it with wine. Sarah handed him the glass he had been drinking from and gave him an apologetic smile.


	9. *Chapter 9

Jare whined and nudged Sarah's leg when she was paying her bills. "Not now Jare." The dog cried again and pulled the shoelaces of her sneakers. "Jare don't be a brat! We're going in half an hour alright!" The woman shook her foot, and kept filling in the form. The dog moaned, frustrated and started to walk circles around her chair.

Sarah tried fiercely to ignore the dog and directed to the papers in front of her, but sometimes he actually stepped on her foot or bumped into her leg to acknowledge her that he wasn't giving up. The woman gritted her teeth, slammed her pen on the desk and made Jare jump. "Jare! Bad dog! Back off!" The black schipper-poo put his tail between his legs, whined and lie down.

The woman had never thought she would actually miss Jareth – she'd sent him off to the grocery store to buy some food for on their way to the cabin they would go to this afternoon. He'd been gone for just half an hour. Sarah hadn't been planning on working on this for this long, she actually wanted to go five minutes after Jareth left to go for a walk with Jare.

Twenty minutes later Sarah had finally finished everything and she was ready to go for a walk with Jare. He jumped up and down happily, waiting for her to open the front door. "Come, we're going to see how Jareth is managing." The dog didn't seem to care where they were going, he was just happy that he was outside.

After five minutes they reached the grocery store and she saw that Jareth just had paid and how he wished the girl a nice day. Whom started to giggle and blush. He picked up the three bags and walked out of the grocery store. "Good afternoon Sarah dearest."

"It's already ten minutes before five and I want to leave at a half past six tops. Did you bring something simple like I said you to?"

"Yes, ma'am" The rest of the time they walked in silence, Jare sometimes barking to dogs across the street. Sarah enjoyed the warm sun and titled her face slightly up. 

Quietly they took care of most the groceries – and put everything they would use for the early dinner in the kitchen. Sarah sat down on the ground to play with Jare. 

The Goblin King was making dinner while dancing slightly on the music he played in his head. He looked towards Sarah whom sat on the ground of the kitchen, stroking Jare's furr softly. The dog had fallen asleep on her lap a few minutes ago.

A few minutes later he filled two plates and served them on the kitchen table. "Dinner is ready, pet."

They had eaten in silence, Sarah doing the dishes as Jareth went for a walk with Jare to make sure the dog wasn't too active in the car. The minutes were silent and Sarah had enough time to make some ice coffee, put it in a thermos and pull on a training suit that would be more comfortable while sitting in the car. She made some sandwiches for their journey and started to fill the car with their stuff. Two minutes later she whistled on and three seconds after that Jare came running to her from a distance. Jareth followed, walking casually instead of actually trying to make haste for her.

Sarah watched how he glided through the dark in his jeans, black turtleneck and sneakers. She put her hands on her sides and narrowed her eyes. "Could you at least _try_ to walk just a _little_ bit harder? We're five minutes late already." The Goblin King grinned and finally reached her, he sneaked one arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Are you sure you've got everything?"

The woman blushed and looked down. "I guess so."

"Great," Jareth nuzzled her neck swiftly and stepped in the car. She let Jare inside and stepped in herself. "Well," Sarah started the engine, sighed and stepped on the accelerator. "Here we go!"

Jareth had fallen asleep after one and a half hour, his cheek resting on the belt and his hands lying limply across his lap. He got pulled from his dreamless sleep when he felt something shaking his shoulder. His eyes fluttered and the first thing he saw was Sarah's face, a star filled sky and a moon on the background. "Sarah?" He asked a little bit slurred. "Is something wrong?"

She smiled at him and shook her head. "No there's nothing. You need to stretch your legs or you'll get all cramped up."

The Goblin King rubbed through his eyes. "How long did I sleep?" He asked when he stepped out of the car after Sarah stepped back and he had wobbled slightly.

"Um," Sarah shrugged. "I think about seventy minutes. Are you alright? You look pale." She took something from the back of the car and handed it to him. "Here, some water will do you good."

Jare kept suddenly jumped up against her in excitement. He didn't know how they ended up like this – but she had bumped into the bottle of water, spilling it slightly over her white training suit and slipped. He was in time to catch her with his free arm. While slightly hanging over her his eyes flashed to her now slightly see through vest. "Are you alright Sarah?"

The woman's lips parted, she blinked and nodded vaguely. "Um, yea I guess." Her hands gripped his shoulders and she pulled herself upright. Sarah took the bottle of water, taking a swig from it, not even noticing how closely Jareth was watching the drop that had escaped from her lips. He leaned forward and his lips touched her jawline, kissing away the drop. The man leaned forward, but stopped just before his lips touched hers. Sarah just felt the slightest bit disappointed as he pulled back, but she quickly shrugged it off, let Jare back in the car and made herself ready to go on with their journey.

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Jareth startled as Jare suddenly started barking. Sarah noticed that the dog woke him up and she tried to shush the excited canine. The dog, however, stopped barking as Jareth had given up on trying to go back to sleep. She flashed him a glance a few times quickly, trying to keep her eyes on the road as much as possible. "I'm sorry Jareth."

He shrugged. "It's alright. I wonder why I am this tired – are we nearly there?" The man stretched his muscles as far as possible in the small place with his long limbs.

"Cramped up, eh? I think ten minutes or so. You think you can deal with that?" She reached to a small bag of candy at her side and held it out to him. "Want some peppermint too?"

Goblin King looked to the white coin formed thing in her hand, took it and investigated it curiously. "You can eat this? Are you sure?"

"Of course."

(( (( b34; b35; ° Dance Magic Dance! ° b35; b34; )) ))

Ten minutes later Sarah drove onto an unpaved road and parked besides the small building. She stepped out, letting Jare out of the car as well, and grabbed their stuff from the back of the car. She handed him his two bags and he strode inside. When Sarah was only halfway unpacking her things Jareth was already done. 

It was obvious both of them were tired - even Jare was. In fact, Jareth didn't even mind finding a bathroom and started changing in their shared bedroom. Before she could actually realize what she was doing she was checking out his body. She saw a big tattoo on his back – something she had never expected to see. Graceful wings touched with glitter, one golden swirl reaching until his tail bone and on top of that something that reminded her of his style of clothing. Sarah decided to ask him later about it. His shoulders were broad, slightly muscled.

"How do you people say that? Ah – yes. Take a picture, that'll less longer." The woman couldn't see his face but she bet it was filled with smugness. She blushed, narrowed her eyes and walked off to get something to drink.


	10. *Chapter 10

Sarah was sitting on the couch in the living room, the area lit only with the fire in the fireplace. She was eating some white grapes lazily and looked at Jareth as he sat by the fire. He wore a white fluffy robe, finding it more comfortable then the pajamas Sarah had given him. Jare was lying at the other side of the fireplace, curled up on the bathrobe Sarah laid there for Jare to sleep on. It seemed almost too perfect, too normal. The only sound was the fire crackling and Jare growling softly in his dream.

They had picnicked in the morning and at lunch while hiking through the area, everything very tame, quiet and comfortable like it was now. They had seen little wildlife, just a few deer, birds, rabbits, hares and one bear from a big distance. She was rather liking Jareth's tame behavior instead of the taunting, confusing Goblin King, but it was getting on her nerves as well. Somewhere she expected him to make a plan in silence to really get to her.

"Hey, Jareth?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence. "I was a kind of… surprised when I saw your tattoo… And I was curious – did you get that in the Above?"

He smirked, leaned one elbow on the armrest and rested his head in that hand. "Ah you spotted that, didn't you?" His expression went from playful to serious and he looked intensely at her, wanting to catch every single emotion that would cross her face. "Trust me this is not another smug or self esteem-boosting remark… But…" His voice went softer to a careful murmur. "I'm a fallen angel, Sarah… This tattoo has been there as long as I remember."

Sarah looked at his serious expression and frowned. "You mean you've got that ever since you were a kid?" The Goblin King shrugged.

"So… does that mean that… you've got wings?" The woman asked carefully, biting her lip while realizing it was a stupid question.

"I hide them, but yes. You want to see them don't you?"

Sarah's lips parted, closed again and she looked down. After a few seconds she looked at him through her lashes. "Can I?"

"I'm afraid not. I haven't been able to use them ever since I was sent here."

The woman nodded. She wasn't sure why but she didn't doubt that he was telling the truth. Sarah looked to his shoulder curiously. "Does the tattoo vanish when you… show them?"

"To be honest… I haven't got a clue. I think it does. I've never looked at it because or the nanny in my childhood, or my father, or my goblins were around." He chuckled and shook his head. "I will never show them when my goblins are around. They launch everything at their chickens and I'm not planning on being a target any time soon. Therewith they could make them dirty."

Sarah took a hand full of grapes and lifted one to her lips. "Jareth? Can you tell me more about you?"

"Well like I told you I can't remember anything before my father adopted me, but…" His eyes directed to her lips and he fell silent as she slipped the grape behind her lips.

"But?" Sarah asked and looked at him.

"Very distracting…" Jareth murmured more to himself then to her. His eyes lifted back to hers and a smirk spread on his face. "But when my father, Jalismes Moirai, took me to the Underground I was too shy and careful to speak to anyone but him. Some thought I wasn't capable of talking at all. It took years to make me less distant and able to answer a question properly. I believe I was around thirteen years old when I started to really take part in conversations and my father was surprised of the fact I could speak in five languages. I read a lot, sometimes I could read two days in a row without eating or drinking anything and barely any sleep." A frown appeared on his features. "When I turned fifteen my mother died in a fight for honor. My father loved my mother dearly – there wasn't a day he didn't give her a loving kiss, a passionate hug, a very true compliment or a declaration of his love to her. They had been together for five hundred years, and she left us for a silly fight of honor…" He turned his face sharply, his angry expression becoming even more pissed. "I begged for her not to accept the fight, even if her name would be spat on…" He relaxed as she felt Sarah put her hand on his and squeeze softly. "To her I was her true son – the child that was delivered by the stork at the wrong address. My father became upset – on the edge of insanity, he gave the throne to his brother and left with me. We went to the Valleys Beyond where we could live in peace where didn't have to watch how people fought with each other. I lived there for ten years with my father, meanwhile I was taught magic and I was building my own place where I could live, just like my father did."

"What did you build then?" She asked curiously.

Jareth leaned closer to her and smiled. "The Labyrinth." He watched her grow uneasy and he inclined his head. "I tried to build the castle in a single day… I've been sick for eight days after that. The very first thing I built was the throne in the Labyrinth, it was for my father because he was weak."

Suddenly Sarah snorted, rather unladylike, then quickly moved her hand in front of her mouth. He raised one eyebrow at her, his eyes questioning and his lips pressed into a thin line. "I-I'm sorry Jareth! But, are you trying to say that the old man wandering the Labyrinth is your father?" Her voice broke with humor and she giggled.

"My father is one of the most powerful Fae in the entire history of the Underground – did you actually think he'd wander endlessly through my labyrinth without destination for eternity?" The man hissed with narrowed eyes. "Of course he's not my father. My father happens to live in the Valleys Beyond like he has been doing for decades. Any more insulting questions or can I continue my story?" If there was one thing someone would regret insulting about it was about his father.

"No, I'm really sorry I didn't mean to insult you, please continue." She smiled carefully and lay her head against the very soft robe clad shoulder.

Jareth wondered how she managed to do these things to him – he seemed so easily able to forgive her actions. He rested his cheek against the crown of her head and went on, looking into the fire. "After seven decades I had finished all the buildings, walls and details, but I had to be patient until it would be done. The plants and hedge mazes had been grown in mother nature's speed. So after many decades I had finally finished the labyrinth and requested my father to live with me. He refused, saying that he needed rest and nature. I haven't seen him after that, I have tried to contact him in any way. I went to visit him but he was gone. I decided he'd come to me when the time was right… It had been so long until I heard from him again – just a week ago, with a letter, that I had to leave my kingdom."

Sarah lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "That sounds suspicious."

The man shrugged and looked at Jare. "It wouldn't be the first time that he says important things with a letter. He asked mother to marry her on a piece of parchment, told me I wasn't his real son... My father has never been someone to show feelings."

She raised lazily, shook her head and walked to the kitchen to get some more tea. "Neither do you." Sarah retorted coolly. "Every time I saw you while I was solving the Labyrinth I was actually wondering if you had any feelings at all." The woman jumped as she felt his hand clasp around her upper arm and his cheek against her hair. Nearly she spilled tea but he stabled her arm.

"And what was your conclusion?" He demanded.

Sarah shrugged and stepped out of his grasp casually. "That you're hiding negative feelings. When I had a date and when I sent you off with Sel your face was as lacking in movement as a stone sculpture." Suddenly she turned around and looked him in the eye. "What negative feeling were you hiding back then?"

His jaw clenched and he looked away from her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"See, now you're doing it again!" The woman put her glass on a table to make sure she didn't hurl it in frustration. "How do you think to earn my trust and respect if you won't allow me to get to know you?" His eyes shifted to hers quickly and some sort of emotion flashed through them, too swift to label it. It was obvious that she was waiting for something.

When he finally answered he was speaking through clenched teeth and looked over her shoulder to the ground. "I was just angry that he could take you out for dinner and I didn't. Happy?"

"Yes, thank you." She spoke calmly. "I don't get why you would think so, you have been cooking for me every day, spoiling me with things I usually only eat on holidays." Sarah smiled and drank of her tea. "I'm going to bed," Sarah walked towards him, gave him a careful, very light kiss on the cheek and turned. "Goodnight Jareth."

"Goodnight, my love." He whispered as he saw her leaving the room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth looked up at the clock. Three AM. He had been thinking the entire time about his task in the Above. He raked his fingers through his hair, bent his head forward en let out an angry snarl. "Father, I need you." The Goblin King snarled, probably a little too loud and not even expecting his father to show up. But when suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder he jumped up.

Before him stood a tall man, seeming to be around his mid fifties, instead of five centuries. His hair was long, straight and blonde with grey strands through it. The man wore black loose pants, brown knee high boots and a dark blue poet. His face was a bit sunken, his lips thin with a crooked nose and calm blue eyes.

"Father?"

"Jareth? Who were you screaming at?" Sarah was standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of her eye. She wore a black laced nightgown, reaching halfway to her tighs, and a dark red robe which hung off her shoulders and was held by her free hand.

The Gobling King didn't miss his father's surprised and maybe even lustful flash through his eyes and he walked towards Sarah. "It's nothing, dearest. I'm sorry I woke you, Just go back to bed." He pressed a kiss on her forehead and smiled slightly at her sleepiness.

"N-okay." The woman said a little bit slurred and turned around. "You coming?"

"Yes dear." The man turned back around, closed the door behind him and kept standing there.

"You mother would have been ashamed walking around like that." Jalismes stated with disdain. All those years alone had made his father change. Obviously he was still angry at the loss of his wife. As soon as he was back in his realm he'd help him to get over it.

But now he really had to go to bed, he wouldn't risk Sarah getting involved in this.

A brief struggle was blatantly showing on his face - he'd never have thought he would choose someone else over his father, especially after not being able to see him for so long... But Sarah's safety was all he could think of now. With a last look at his rather uninterested father he turned around and left, heading for the bedroom. He could his father growl, then leave.

When he stepped in he saw her sitting on the foot of her bed, legs crossed and her bathrobe still wrapped around her like it was when she had stepped into the room. The man looked up at the electric lights and frowned, turning them off and lighting a candle on the dresser between their beds. He pulled off his shoes and black turtleneck and looked at her, her eyes sharp and eyebrows knotted. "Something wrong, Sarah?"

"Who was that guy?" She demanded.

"That was my father, I'm sorry I didn't introduce you. It wasn't the right time." He pulled off his pants, not missing the blush even with the lack of light.

The woman shrugged and looked away from him. "You could at least tell me you invited someone – I hate being such an excluded host and it makes it even worse that he's your father _and_ a very powerful Fae – even when being retired." She shot a look to the clock. "Therewith it's in the middle of the night – what's so important that he needs to come over this late?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you and you don't have to worry about standards when you see him. He _was_ a powerful Fae – right now he doesn't possess even half of the magic I do." He lie down under he blankets, leaning on his arm. "Now let's go to sleep, I'll make a healthy breakfast so we can hike away." He smiled at her. "Sleep well, Sarah."

She sighed deeply, threw her robe away carelessly and lie down. "Goodnight."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth inhaled the air deeply and looked behind him. Sarah bent forward to a small stream a few levels lower then he and looked to the fish swimming in it. Like she could feel him looking at her she lifted her eyes to him and headed for the place he was standing. When she slightly struggled to get up some loose stones he reached out to her and pulled her up.

When the woman had finally reached the same level she looked at the sight with a smile. Her eyes caught some movement in the woods far away and a soft laugh slipped from her lips. "Look, wolves!"

The man cupped his hand in front of his mouth and howled. Sarah jumped and looked strangely at him and back at the wolves. Surprisingly the wolves looked up from their travel and howled back. "What the hell was that?" Sarah asked curiously and looked how the wolves sniffed the air, seeking for the one that called. "What did you say?"

"I honestly have no clue." Jareth snorted and shrugged. "But it seemed like it that I caught their attention."

Sarah started to walk into the forest to look if she could spot any other animals. She felt an annoying feeling between her legs and it ached slightly. The woman suddenly realized her last period had been six weeks ago. She quickly jumped out of Jareth's view and looked down and touched her thigh.

Could the timing be worse?

"Jareth, can we go back?"

The Goblin King, whom was just planning on climbing into a tree stopped and turned around. "Back? Why do you want to go back?" He turned back to the tree, gripped a branch and put his foot against the bark. "If you're afraid that we will get attacked by some sort of animal you don't need to be afraid."

"No it's not that…" She thought about an excuse which he would buy. "I'm feeling a little bit sick." He watched how he swung his leg over the branch, put the other over it as well and hang upside down, his back to her.

"Maybe you need something to eat. You've got food in your backpack right?" He put his hands behind his neck and enjoyed the view. Suddenly Sarah's chest blocked his way, he grinned and looked up at her, which was down for him.

"I'm not hungry Jareth." She sighed. "Can we just go home?" The woman placed her hands on the back of his head and lifted him up. She felt how one of his hands went to the back of her neck for support and she bit her lip as she felt him shiver when her fingers slightly raked through them as she tried to lift him up. "A bit of help would work! Come on!" Sarah hissed. His fingers in her neck tensed, he smirked and his other hand went up to the branch to lift himself.

"Alright, darling. I'll come."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

It had taken just half an hour to return while it took more then an hour to reach the spot they had seen the wolves. Jareth wondered why she was in such a hurry. They had been nearly jogging home and when they were she rushed to the bathroom as soon as possible. He rushed after her to see what's wrong but the door closed and locked before he could jump in. "Sarah are you alright? What's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about, go do something for yourself I'll be done in half an hour." Sarah's voice came from the other side of the door along with the sound of streaming water.

"Sarah you were quite determined to go back as soon as possible – you nearly ran back and now you try tell me that nothing is wrong?"

"Yeah yeah don't worry it happens all the time."

Jareth frowned as he leaned with his lower arm against the doorway. "You have some kind of illness?"

"No it's really normal every girl has it. Really, do you still don't know what I'm talking about?

"You are…" He pursed his lips as he spoke the words slowly. "Pregnant?" He jumped when she suddenly threw something against the door and he jumped back from it slightly.

"I am _not_ pregnant!" She yelled furiously.

The Goblin King growled and fisted his hands. "Well I'm only trying to figure out what is going on! You can't blame me for just asking away since _you_ don't want to tell me!"

"You never heard about a girl's period?!" She snapped angerly while being in the shower.

For a few minutes it was quiet and Jareth was trying really hard to remember anything about this… period. "Should I have?" He called at her, more gentle.

Sarah sighed deeply, turned off the shower and rummaged through some stuff. "A girl gets her period once a month, it's a sign that she is still fertile and the body needs to refresh. That's all you need to know, if you still have the weird urge to know more, go to the library at the teenager section."

Sarah obviously wasn't the best person to get a lecture from. His ears pricked as he heard more rummaging and a few seconds after that the door suddenly opened and Sarah bumped into him. She gasped and he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. She blushed and quickly pushed herself away. Sarah walked past him and sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh, pulling a cushion on her lap and pressing it against her belly.

Jareth sat next to her. "Well it's too late to go back. What would you like to do?

The woman shrugged and crossed her legs. "Um, I don't know… A game?"

"Sounds great." He said and his eyes lit up. "What did you have in mind?"

The woman knew there were no games in this cottage so she needed a game they didn't need any equipment for. "Um… I spy?" Sarah asked carefully and looked at him. He grinned and shrugged, walking to the kitchen. She was curious what he was doing and she raised an eyebrow when he came walking back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He sat down, opened the wine and poured two glasses, handing her one.

"You always drink wine when playing a game?" 

"Not at all games…" His smirk broadened smugly when he felt her cheek's temperature flare up. "To the game then, my Sarah." He said when he tapped the two glasses together.

"Oookay… Let's see… I spy, with my little eye… something that is… blue."

Jareth looked around and pursed his lips after taking a sip from his wine. "Hm… The lamp?"

"Nope."

"The couch?"

"No." Sarah took a sip from her glass of wine as well and noticed it tasted good. Really good actually.

"The robe for Jare?"

"Na-ah…"

They went on like that for a couple of hours, sometimes taking a small break to get another bottle of wine. Now Sarah was lying on the couch with her legs over his lap and the wine in her left hand. "I spy… with my goblin fried eye… Something that is big." The woman slurred drunkenly. Jareth lay slumped on the couch, his feet resting on the table in front of him as he took another swig from his glass.

"The house?" Sarah shook her head no. "The placefire – um, fireplaze?"

Sarah refilled her glass, spilling it a little bit over the edge. "No dummy, your crotch."

"Ah yeah, should have known that…" The Goblin King slurred and shrugged, spilling a bit of his wine on the couch. "Ah, what a pity…"

"Hey Jareth, wave to the camera." Sarah waved slowly to the video camera standing on top of the fireplace.

The man pulled a face. "No – last time I did she didn't wave back."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah groaned as she slowly got pulled from her sleep by a fierce throbbing in her head. She felt the ache in her neck and the crick in her back. As she stretched the glided down, first her head hitting the floor and then her back. "Oh fuck… What the hell…" Her voice was hoarse and when she tried to clear her throat it stuck and felt like someone has scratched the flesh to pieces. "Jesus." She rubbed through her eyes and opened them. She found herself behind the couch, her butt still slightly lifted against the back. The woman crawled up, wobbling slightly, her head spinning, feeling like someone was throwing an anvil against it.

She saw Jareth laying on the table on his belly without a shirt and shoes and she frowned when she saw the three empty bottles of wine. Sarah looked around at the mess, a few wine stains on the couch and floor and a white robe lying on top of a closet.

Wait, a white robe?

The woman looked down and her eyes widened – she was standing here in her underwear. She quickly walked to the closet and tried to reach the robe. Even when jumping up to grasp for it – her headache slamming her in the face – she still couldn't reach it. Suddenly she went up high in the air, she looked down and saw two big gloved hands holding her sides. Sarah grabbed the robe quickly and wriggled to get out of his grasp.

When she turned around and gasped, back away slightly. "Whoa Jareth -" Sarah said with her hoarse voice. "Your eyes are completely black.'

The Goblin King shrugged, massaging his trapezius and neck muscles which were sore. "Yes, it's because of the alcohol." He walked to the window where one of his shirts was lying against the glass and he put it on, leaving the buttons undone. "Do you happen to have some of those so-called painkillers?"

"Yeah follow me." Sarah walked to the bedroom but stopped as soon as she entered. "Wow – we act like real goblins when being drunk. I'm going to lock away the wine behind a lock only a sober person can open." Jareth chuckled when he saw the room that couldn't be recognized as the clean room it had been yesterday. He flopped down on Sarah's bed as she walked to her bag, crouched down and rummaged through it.

"You look downright irresistible in your underwear, my love." He said as his eyes raked over her body, darkening. Sarah looked down and noticed she hadn't put on the robe yet. She blushed and walked quickly to the living room to put it on. When she came back her movements were quicker, more nervous.

When she finally found them she threw them in front of him while he was still lying lazily on her bed. "I'm going to get a shower, we're leaving for a long walk to the meadow with Jare in an hour." She left biting her lip and Jareth looked after her with a smug expression.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah came walking out of the shower when she heard a low chuckle. She looked around her to spot him and finally found him in the living room.

With the video camera.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She stomped over to him and tried to snatch it out of his hands. However, Jareth was much faster then her and before she knew it he was sitting on the worktop in the kitchen. It was even that quick that it almost seemed as if he transported there. "Jareth if you don't give that back to me _right now_-"

Then she heard herself giggling on the tape and she blushed fiercely. "Ah, I already wondered how you had lost your robe through the night…" Jareth murmured smugly.

"Okay, that's it! Give it back!" Sarah jumped forward and reached for the camera as he pulled it up high in the air. "Goddammit, give it to me!" She suddenly felt his legs wrap around her waist and she hadn't even noticed she had gotten in between his knees. The woman wriggled, trying to break free of his hold on her.

"Now, just calmly ask me if you can have it back."

The woman narrowed her eyes at him, she took a half step back and then she leaped forward, tackling him onto the ground. Both their breaths were forced from their longues and Sarah took a second to compose herself. "Hm, sexy." He muttered, his arm sneaking around her waist. She looked down at him, snarled, snatched the camera out of his hand and raised. Jareth raised as well, chuckling.


	11. *Chapter 11

Sarah played with Jare when Jareth was looking around curiously. For minutes they were playing carelessly, not thinking of what Jareth was doing. Jare lie down on the ground while biting playfully in her hand as she tickled under his chin. The dog cried happily, completely fixed on her hand only.

Suddenly the woman heard a soft sound behind her. She froze when there sounded a deep snarl and she whirled around, Jare jumping back in alarm.

Two meters away there was standing a big, dark gray – almost black – long haired wolf, teeth bared, head lowered and paws standing strongly on the long grass. His tongue flicked out, wetting his teeth.

A forgotten fact slapped her harshly in the face. She was still in the wilderness and she had failed to keep alert at all times. 

Sarah saw little chance to get away unharmed but she wouldn't give up. The wolf came closer and before she could even notice it herself she screamed. "Jareth!" The black canine growled at her and stepped closer. The woman clutched Jare to her chest, kicked the wolf against his snout in blind panic and crawled back.

He cried out, rubbed his muzzle with his paw and shook his head. After that his already angry eyes became murderous. The hair on his back raised, his teeth bared once again and his nose wrinkled. The wild animal threw his head back, cried to what Sarah thought would be his pack. He growled one last time, leaned back and then leaped forward.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth pulled himself up in a tree, curious of what he would see as he reached the top. He chased away some birds as he made a branch shake and he watched them fly into the sky. As he nearly reached the top he heard a bone chilling scream and then someone calling his name in desperation.

It was in small distance but it felt as if it was screamed right into his ear. His hands lost their grip, his feet slid of the branch underneath him and he grasped wildly in front of him, searching for something to stable him. Jareth's back came in touch with a branch, the sound of something breaking ringing through the air. Limply and unable to save himself in any way he smacked into the ground. The Goblin King gasped for air, blinking a few times before his vision came back and got steady. With a heavy groan he pushed himself up as quickly as he could. He started running as fast as he could.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The wolf jumped forward with bared teeth – and Sarah did not know how she managed, but she put her feet on the chest of the animal and kicked it back. It yelped in pain as it hit the ground and growled as it crawled back up. Its piercing eyes directed back to the woman clutching the smaller dog to her chest – he didn't care for the whelp. The animal walked back to her, not giving up his prey. Just when he was about to jump he was held back.

A white wolf jumped in front of Sarah, catching her off guard. It growled dangerously, his hairs bristling and his nails digging in the ground. The white wolf leaped forward, his paws pushing back the chest of the black wolf and knocking it to the ground.

In front of her eyes the big white wolf molded away and became the Goblin King. It held the wolf's fur of it's neck and the animal cried. He kept lying down submissively as it cried softly.

With a final warning push against the throat and then Jareth let go, watching the wolf running away. He turned around, his knees buckling weakly before he sank to the ground. His skin was ghostly pale, his eyes dull. It was all too obvious that he was in bad shape. He saw her shaking and he gathered her in his arms. "He threw me off guard, I kicked him twice, but it didn't stop him for very long. As always you know how to make your entrance dramatic and exactly on the right time…" She looked up at him, smiled softly, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "Thank you Jareth." When she put her hand on his back he hissed violently and arched away from the touch.

"Better not… touch there, dearest." He said between clenched teeth and took her arms.

She looked to the side of his arm, craning her neck and bending forward slightly. "What happened to you?" Sarah reached out but he turned his shoulders quickly. "No wait come here I want to see it!" The woman turned him around. "Is that blood? That animal didn't hurt you did it?" She stepped in front of him and started to unbutton his shirt.

"What do you think you're do-"

"Shush. That red big stain on your back _can't_ be anything good, now keep still because your pulling isn't helping." Sarah turned him around, partly because she really wanted to know what happened to him and partly because she wanted to hide her blush she was carrying every time she saw his chest. "Oh gosh." Sarah looked at his back. The lower part's smooth skin was cut, pieces of wood digging in the flesh making blood ooze from the sides of the splinters, as she looked higher up the horrid red turned to nasty blue and purple. "Geez – this is not pretty at all! How did you get yourself _this_ injured?"

"Well a particular damsel in distress shrieked for my attention when I was climbing up a tree to look for a nice view." The Goblin King said in the matter-of-factly with a big smirk.

Sarah nudged against his arm. "Stop it, this is not funny! From how high did you fall?"

The man shrugged nonchalantly, Sarah seeing the splinters in his back move, some getting deeper. He turned around and saw the blood sinking away from her face. "Okay – we are going to head back early again. Come. I'm going to clean your wound and _you_ are not going to stop me from doing that." Sarah gripped his wrist and checked if Jare followed.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

One and a half hour later Jareth was sitting in the bathroom on a chair, Sarah pulling out the big and small splinters. He winced sometimes but when he did she touched his shoulder apologetically which eased a part of the pain.

"Okay I believe all the splinters are gone… Though… I'd like it if you'd let it soak so the very small pieces will get out themselves." She blushed and looked down. "I know it will hurt but I feel guilty for letting you drop out of that tree." The Goblin King grunted heavily, raised with reluctance and turned on the taps until he got the right temperature. He looked at it – never thinking he could actually hate taking a bath. The woman turned him around and smiled up at him. "I'll stay if you like to help you." He nodded stiffly, feeling longing to pull her with him as soon as he'd be in there. She pressed a kiss on his cheek and turned. "Put on your swimming trunks, they're in the closet over there. Make sure you're careful so the wound won't suffer."

Sarah came walking back and he looked at Sarah whom was fussing with her hands. He took both her hands with one of them and titled her face up to him. "Don't worry Sarah – it's not your fault that I fell. I don't regret saving you, so please don't make me because of your worries." The Goblin King clenched his teeth together, feeling lightheaded. He frowned, closing his eyes and reaching for his head. He turned around, refusing to show his unstableness.

However, the quick movement made his head spin – which was the last thing he could bare. With a slight stagger, his hand falling from his face…

…he fainted.

Sarah jumped as he dropped down and she managed to catch him before he and his wound could hit the hard stone floor. She rolled her eyes. He may look lean but he certainly didn't feel like it. The woman huffed and dragged him to the chair he had been sitting on earlier. She put him there carefully and took a small towel which she wetted with the tap of the sink. With a deep sigh she looked at him lying slumped in the chair. The woman tapped followed his features with her fingers, marveling at how soft his skin was. Then she started tapping his face to cool it. "And I compared you to a lion – silly me. As the lion kind of type you should have landed on your feet, but no sir! You have to land on you ass."

"I couldn't help it." He muttered darkly.

"You're awake! You fainted big boy."

"I could have turned into an owl." Jareth went on, ignoring her comment. "Was it not for the fact that my powers are malfunctioning... Help me remember... to figure out how I managed to change... Later." He felt her hand raking through his hair and because of his uncontrolled feelings he moaned softly.

Sarah rested her hand on his jaw, feeling it jump under her touch. "Are you alright?"

With a deep intake of breath he raised his hand to hers, took it and pressed a kiss on her palm. "I think I am." Carefully he sat up straight, knowing he was still holding her hand. He raised, wobbling slightly. Sarah put a hand on his arm until he was stable, after that she pulled off her shoes and socks and rolled her pants up until her knees. Jareth decided not to question it and he stepped into the bath. With both hands on the sides of the bath he lowered himself – hissing as the water hit his back. He felt Sarah's hand whisper through his hair and rest on his shoulder, trying to make it easier for him. After five minutes later he had finally managed to sit down, his fingers digging in the edges. "I truly hope you will come with better ideas in the future should you ever try again to help me."

"Oh come on you're a grown man – why were you climbing in a tree anyway? There are enough places to watch the environment where you can just walk around without braking your back. Can you feel if something is broken?" Sarah sat down on the head of the bath, making sure she wouldn't fall in.

"No nothing is broken."

"Good." She looked at the big bruises on his back and leaned forward, looking at him so he could see her from the corner of his eye. "You know – molten chocolate helps to cure the bruises."

A wicked glint lit up in his eyes, he cupped her chin with his thumb and forefinger and leaned closer. "And what kind of exciting invitation is that?"

Sarah raised one eyebrow, the tiniest hint of a smile ghosting over her lips. "It's not an invitation – it's a solution! You'd better watch it want I can be dangerous – even with chocolate." That comment only broadened his smile, turning it from wicked to utterly devilish. The woman clenched her teeth and frowned. "I mean that it's going to hurt." The grin didn't fall from his face so she pulled back and nudged his shoulder.

While leisurely stroking the water surface his he inclined his head even though he wasn't looking at her. "Do tell me darling, why did _you_ get in the bath?"

"I'm exhausted – I need some rest." Sarah yelled as Jareth suddenly gripped her ankles and yanked her into the water. "Goblin King!" She shrieked angerly. Sarah crawled out clumsily. "God damn it!" With angry movements she pulled off her pants and shirt – not caring that he would see her. As he chuckled wickedly she clenched her teeth and turned away from him.

She would get him back. Sarah grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She went to the bedroom to pull on some new clothes.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

After she had bandaged his torso he had been prancing around without a shirt the rest of the day.

Jareth bluntly used her shyness to work on her nerves – his arms wrapping around her constantly. Sarah had tried several times to shrug him off, like going to the bathroom, bedroom or toilet. But every time she came close to anything that would leave him behind he'd simply catch her in his strong arms and persuade her to another place.

At most moments, it worked. However, now she really needed him to be away for a moment because, well… She had to do something he really wasn't supposed to watch. So when she headed for the bathroom she turned around at him and then suddenly looked shocked behind him, shrieking. "Jare!"

His head whipped around quickly and Sarah fled into the bathroom, locking the door quickly. The woman heard him laugh, utterly amused, and walk away.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth sat down on the couch and jumped as he heard Sarah's cell phone ringing. He picked it up and looked on the screen. He grinned, pressed and held it by his ear. "Sarah's cell phone, Jareth speaking."

He heard a young boy's voice, probably around eleven years old. "Uh – hello?"

"Sarah isn't available at the moment, can I take a message?"

"Toby were you able to reach her?" The Goblin King heard an older man's voice through the phone. "Hurry up a bit we have to go."

"Ah, Toby is it?" Jareth chuckled – already knowing he was talking to the little boy. "Why did you call, Toby?"

For a moment it was quiet, then the boy cleared his throat. "Have you stolen my sisters cell phone?"

"No no no, of course not."

"Oh… Are you a friend then?"

"Yes, I'm a very good friend."

"Oh…" The man heard the other man at the phone said something from a distance but he couldn't hear it. "Yes dad, it's her cell phone – some guy picked up."

"Hello, who is this?" Rang an older man's voice suddenly hard in Jareth's ear. He flinched slightly.

"Good afternoon, you're speaking to Jareth. Sarah isn't here at the moment, can I take a message?"

The lack of respons made it obvious he didn't like it that a stranger picked up her phone. "I'll call back in half an hour." After that the man hung up and so did Jareth.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Like Sarah's father said – he called again half an hour later, this time Sarah herself picking it up. "Hi daddy!"

"Sarah who was that guy that picked up earlier?" Robert asked, slightly hissing.

"Oh, that was Jareth." She rolled her eyes. "I was in the bathroom and didn't hear it. Why?"

"Who is that Javert?"

"It's Jareth, dad. And it's a fr… acquaintance. He needed to do something in the neighborhood and I invited him in my house for a while."

"And then you decided to take him with you on vacation? Do you still have that pepper spray I gave you?"

Sarah laughed. "Dad, he's just a little bit annoying, smug and arrogant – he isn't some kind of serial killer."

"That doesn't mean that you won't need it – some men can be really bratty Sarah, certainly when you are in the middle of nowhere. No one would be there to help – he could easily -"

"Dad!" The woman shrieked and looked at Jareth which was sitting a few meters away from her, making dinner, looking if he had heard it. "Jareth is… more like Toby – just a brat with a big mouth but too lazy to do anything." The Goblin King threw a carrot at her with a big smirk. "Ouch – piss off Jareth!" She said with a grin while hurling back the carrot which he avoided with a tilt of his head.

"What did he do?" He asked quickly.

She ducked behind the couch as he threw the same carrot back to her. "Nothing he just threw a carrot at me, he that's all he's got." Sarah lolled at the man.

Jareth raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"He threw a _carrot_? Why?"

"He's making dinner."

Robert sounded surprised. "Jareth's makes you dinner?"

"Yeah he's been doing that for a few days now. Since he came here."

"Well watch it that he doesn't put poison in it."

"Oh no he won't – he gave me a bad peach once and I made it quite clear he shouldn't try that again." She saw Jareth frowning.

"Well I want to meet this Jareth. Oh and Toby called you to remember you that this time we celebrate Karen's birthday at your place. I have to go now, our train is leaving – I'll see you then. Goodbye honey."

"Bye dad." Sarah said with a chuckle and hung up.

This was going to be fun.

"Now keep those carrots with you!" Sarah hurled is back playfully. She saw Jareth dropped the knife he was holding after the carrot hit his shoulder and leaped forward to her. The woman jumped away with a yelp and started running around the couch as he came after her. He caught her swiftly and held her captive in his arms as she tried to wriggle herself out of it. The woman laughed but gasped as he pressed her more closely against him. "Let me go!" She felt him blowing cold air in her ear and she wriggled, giggling. "No stop it! Get back to work!" He chuckled darkly, let go of her and went back to the carrots he was making ready.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Dinner was just as unfair-ishly delicious as always and Sarah found herself exhausted. It was just around eight in the evening when she felt the exhaustion not only hit her eyes but the rest of her body as well. She had told Jareth she wanted to replace the bandage and look if it had gotten any better, so in less then half an hour he was sitting on the chair in the bathroom again, Sarah unwrapping the bandage from his chest. "Um… Wow." She said in awe.

"What is it?" Jareth asked curiously.

The woman touched the wound very carefully – only receiving the slightest wince. "It's healing so fast! The bruises are already gone!"

"Yes we heal faster, but it leaves a terrible ache. Too bad – no molten chocolate then, I guess." He pouted, disappointed.

Instead of an angry nudge she laughed and threw away the old bandages. "Yes, what a pity. Wait a moment." She walked to the closet at the other side, rummaged through it and picked a see through bottle out of it filled with yellow liquid. Sarah wrapped a towel around his lower back, covering the wound and the top rolled up twice. "Here hold this tight and go lie on your bed." Surprisingly he obeyed without a word and Sarah grabbed the bottle.

She walked into the bedroom, seeing Jareth lounge on his bed, his back against the headboard. "I meant on your back." She actually had no clue why she even to wanted to do this, she blamed guilt. Jareth raised one eyebrow but rolled over. "You can let go of the towel now."

He put his hands under his head and looked forward to the headboard. His ears pricked when he heard the sound of the bottle getting opened and after that it was quiet again. When he felt Sarah's oiled hands on his back a shiver of pleasure shot through his spine. An involuntary moan rolled from his lips and swept a blush over both their cheeks. Her hands put pressure on his muscles and smoothed them after that, making his muscles jump every time she did this.

Sarah bit her lip as she saw him closing his eyes in bliss, sigh or groan from time to time. She noticed the tattoo was warmer then the rest of his skin – much warmer actually.

The Goblin King knew that it was a good thing that he was lying on his belly now – he would probably scare her if she knew what was going on. And how could it not happen, with two soft oiled hands travelling over his back caressing his skin.

"Better?" She asked a few minutes later.

"M-hm."

The woman blushed and raised. "I'm going to get a towel – unless you'd like to wash off the oil in the shower?"

"I think I will." He lifted, cupped her cheek and leaned closer. "Thanks a lot, precious. I found it truly pleasurable." Smugly he made his way to the bathroom – not bothering to lock the door behind him.

Sarah blinked a few times and then looked down at her hands. She walked to the bathroom door and knocked. "Jareth wait a second I need to wash my hands." The woman heard the stream start and she blushed.

"Well I haven't locked the door so you can just come in."

"No!"

"Why not? I have closed the shower curtain so even if you _want_ to see anything you wouldn't be able to. Therewith – certainly you have seen a man before?"

'Not one like you.' She thought angerly. Even though she really didn't want to get in, she had to to wash her hands. "Don't you dare to pull me in or jump out!" The woman warned, opened the door with her elbow and walked in.

Quietly, as fast as possible and without glancing once to the shower she washed her hands, her eyes tightly closed while biting her lip.

However, when she wanted to dry her hands with a towel that had been there earlier, she found out that the piece of cloth had disappeared.

"Searching for something?"

The woman froze and knew immediately that Jareth had snatched it away when she had her eyes pressed closed while washing her hands. Now that she heard his voice she also noticed that the stream of the shower was gone. Too tense to turn around she simply kept standing there, looking down at the sink with her hands clutched to the edge. Sarah knew she had to turn around eventually – and she was only stressing herself out with this. She sucked her lungs full with air, collected her nerves and tried to relax.

After three minutes or so she finally turned around and found him smirking smugly, completely naked apart from the towel around his hips. Which was the towel she had been looking for, of course. His arrogance was almost visibly beaming from him.

The woman swallowed heavily and watched the drops of water slide down his cheeks, neck and chest. Her heart started to race when he walked towards her with catlike movements. She pressed herself closer against the sink and felt like the mouse cornered by the cat. He stopped right in front of her and looked down at her with a smile tugging at his lips.

"Would you like it back?" He murmured, amused.

"Y- uh, no… Um, keep it." The woman quickly jumped to the side and hurried out of the room

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah huffed as she dragged herself out of her bed. It was their last day in the cottage and Sarah found herself finding it way too short. She needed to get up early because she needed to wash the bedcovers and their own clothes, along with the rest of the house. The previous day had been fun – she had been jogging with Jare and Jareth – acknowledging that Jareth was in great shape. She thought that he always lounged in his throne, letting others do the work for him. On the other hand, she had seen his chest and legs a couple of times now – he was not really muscled, but they were defiantly there underneath the alabaster skin.

The woman threw her pillow at Jareth – since he always ignored the alarm – or just really couldn't hear it. He threw it back lazily, his lips slightly curved but not wanting to wake up. She growled, walked over to him and threw off the covers. Sarah blushed when she saw that he only wore the small underpants and turned around immediately to walk away. However, Jareth grabbed her by the sides and pulled her onto the mattress. Sarah yelped as she hit it and gasped. Her blush became a deeper shade of red and his arms were wrapped around her in a tight grip.

It made it even more uncomfortable as she noticed what they were wearing – he only his underpants and she only her panties and a short nightgown.

"Let!" Her nails bit in his arms. "Me!" She pulled his arms away. "Go!" Sarah finished when she jumped off the bed. "Now come and help me because we have some cleaning to do."


	12. *Chapter 12

Sarah sighed deeply as she got the last bit of her stuff packed and the woman let herself fall onto bed, tired. "I must admit you behaved better then I thought you would. Maybe I should give you a treat for it."

"Hm I agree." His fingers raked through her hair. "I had been hoping you would change your mind about the molten chocolate idea." She snorted and pushed his face to the side. He chuckled, let himself fall down on the mattress and buried his nose in her hair that lay spread over the bed's surface. "I'd love a treat... I even may become more obedient if you'd give me one." He felt her shiver as his fingers slid up her neck and his breath glided over the spot behind her ear. A mischievous smirk spread over his face and he toyed with her hair. "And who knows..." The man pressed one kiss on her jaw and smiled against her skin. "I might give you a treat back."

Sarah felt something in her belly flutter and her heart jumped as his lips moved. "Like what? A snake, a poisoned peach, a death experience? I'd rather not."

The Goblin King laughed. "Why would I do that? I have no intention of hurting you, my sweet." He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent deeply, drowning in her scent. "Who knows what I'd give you..."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to accept anything from you." It came out rather rude and mocking, but it came uncontrolled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He demanded a little venemously.

"Well, you don;t actually have the best history in giving presents..."

"I'm sorry?" He sat up, turning to her how would you know? The only thing I have offered to you as a present was thrown back in my face without even considering to accept it."

"Well, it was the kind of Jack in the box present, wasn't it?"

"I fail to see how a kingdom in a land of magic is alike to a Jack in the box in any way." 

"It kind of makes you wonder what exactly it is but once you actually find out it kind of takes a nasty turn, I suppose." It was then that she realized she had admitted she was really glad she rejected him and threw his words back in his face.

Without a word – without a single sound – even though it seemed like he was stomping - he left the room and headed for the front door.

Sarah raised swiftly and ran after him. "Jareth, Jareth wait!" She called as he left through the front door.

Jareth felt his chest sting in pain while making his way through the forest. Without any effort he climbed up into a tree and perched on the highest branch.

After these days he had lived with Sarah, after the times she smiled at him, the times she thanked him... the times she had pressed a kiss on his cheek or the attempts she had made to take care of him... He really thought she was starting to like him – or at least hate him less.

Sure, they had their arguments and their stubborn natures crossing each other at least once a day – but it didn't leave them wanting to strangle the other.

He could feel the threads that had started healing his heart bend and twist, and eventually snap.

There and then, deep in the forest, one pure, golden tear pried his way through his tightly closed eyelids and caressed his cheek.

He quickly caught the valuable drop as he realized its path would be visible until the next day, leaving his iris - which had allowed the tear to be freed - pure golden.

In times like these he cursed the honesty that was forced upon by being Fae. Sometimes he longed for being human. To have the ability to hide evidence of emotions touching his body. Emotions were no problem after a long time of practicing, but tears or true smiles that touched his heart would be visible for various hours.

The Goblin King closed his eyes – trying to get control over his emotions again.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth didn't know how long he had tried to get rid of the emotions but it seemed that being rejected, his heart torn to shreds, two times in a single decade – the second ever crueler than the first – by a single woman was just too much to bear.

Also, he had been too wrapped up in his internal struggle to notice the woman climbing up. As he saw her coming nearer and nearer he felt something he hadn't felt since he was a small boy.

Fear.

The man didn't want her to see him in this weak state and he made a useless attempt to find a branch to escape to.

Sarah sat down in front of him. After searching for him for nearly three and a half hours she was glad she finally found him. The woman noticed the hard lines on his face, which was turned from her and she tried to look into his eyes. Unfortunately, he kept those narrowed while looking down, making it impossible to catch his gaze. "Jareth..." Sarah spoke softly and looked down, quietly wrapping her arms around his waist giving him what she hoped to be a comforting hug. "I didn't mean what I told you..." She let go of him and leaned back, keep trying to see his eyes. "I was a girl back then – you can't blame me for not understanding you. And even if I did understand it you couldn't expect I'd accept your offer. If I'd meet a guy I like and I spend ten hours with him – would you actually think I'd offer him everything I've got – myself included – if I'd have as much possessions and power as you do? Be honest with yourself, Jareth, if I'd have accepted everything you offered, would it have worked out?" The woman lay her hand on his distant cheek and turned his face to her, his downcast eyes still invisible for her, but he became more calm and reasonable. "I wasn't meant to accept you back then... Just like it isn't meant right now. We wouldn't have hiked, wouldn't have watched a movie or eat together at home with Jare by our feet... Think carefully, Jareth, would you have cherished those moments as much as you do now if I had accepted your offer?"

The Goblin King lifted his head over her hands and looked away from her again. "You could have accepted it now." He said coldly.

"If I'd have accepted now I'd have regretted jumping into it like I would have." Sarah pointed out. "Would you grant me the wish of looking in your eyes again?"

Jareth looked down stubbornly. "Why would I grant another wish of yours? Any wish I made so far was thrown back in my face." The man said harshly, his eyebrows knotting together and his lips pressing into a thin line.

"I'm sorry Jareth, but I can't grant you your wish now. It's just too soon and if I'd decide to love you I plan on keep loving you. You and I would both hate me if I'd find out later that I made a mistake." The woman pushed herself a little bit closer to him, leaning forward and pressing a kiss on his cheek. "I'm care for you, Jareth..." She laid her palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "Have a little bit more patience and a bit more understanding and who knows..." Sarah laid her head against his shoulder and kept her hand feeling his pulse which was starting to get a little bit faster. "I don't ask you to be less of a brat, or less arrogant... I don't even want you to be more romantic or caring. I started to like you for who you are - maybe even more then liking. I just want to see if you and I would work... And I want to give myself some time to think about that." Sarah pulled back. "Do you think you can handle that?"

The Goblin King struggled to catch everything she had just said. She admitted she was falling for him, that she wasn't even that far from granting his wish. Obviously she even started liking him for _who_ he was – instead of _what_ he was. He decided he wouldn't hide his sign of sorrow anymore and he lifted his eyes to hers, seeing her smiling softly to encourage him.

Her fingers reached out to his temple and touched the corner of his eye. "Your left eye changed, where is the ocean blue I expected to see?"

"It's a Fae side effect." He said while looking away from her again.

"What was the cause?" Sarah asked softly while removing her hand.

"A tear."

The smile which had been gracing her lips fell and she sighed softly. "Oh no... Jareth, I'm truly sorry, please forgive me." Sarah pulled him closer and cradled his head agianst her shoulder. She felt him letting out a deep breath as she stroked the back of his head gently.

"We have to go... Come on." Sarah let go of him and climbed back down. Jareth followed silently, stroking Jare, whom had followed Sarah, once over his head and smiled faintly at the animal.

Sarah looked sideways at him, smiling when he met her gaze and looking forward again. It was already six in the afternoon and if they wouldn't be on their way fast they would be home late and Sarah wouldn't be of much use tomorrow when she had go back to work. Luckily Jareth hadn't gone that deep into the forest so it was only half an hour walk back to the cabin. When he walked resolutely to the car Sarah took his hand swiftly.

"Jareth, I want us to make an agreement." The woman said when she pulled him back swiftly. "Promise you won't run away again when you're angry next time. I had to walk around three hours searching for you and I never meant and never will mean to hurt you." She looked into his eyes with a frown and then sighed. "And I really don't like your eye being gold."

Suddenly he wound his arms around her and pulled her against his chest in a warm embrace. "It was a really cruel thing to say to me, Sarah. I will promise I won't flee if you promise to watch your tongue." He pulled back slightly, tipping her chin up with one hand. "Or else I'll have to do it." Though he smiled a serious flash whipped through his eyes. A blush crept up her cheeks and she quickly walked to the cabin to get their things.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth tried hard to stay awake this time. It seemed like the thing on four wheels was getting forward on _his_ energy. He managed to stay up for half an hour but then he drifted away nonetheless.

He woke up just after Sarah turned off the engine – seeing he was not home but at some restaurant. The Goblin King stretched, rubbed his eyes and sighed. The man looked to his side as he heard a soft giggle and he looked questioningly to the woman. "What's so funny?"

Sarah unfastened her belt and smiled. "It looks funny when you do that, it makes you look like a little boy. Come on, we're going to have dinner." Sarah went out of the car, letting Jare out and watching how Jareth stretched his muscles.

In silence they walked to the crowded restaurant, Jareth holding open the door for her.

"Good evening! Table for two?" A helpful girl was at their side immediately, smiling politely.

"Yes please." Sarah smiled and followed the girl as she led her to their table. Jareth held out Sarah's chair for her like the gentleman he actually wasn't. Jare kept out of sight wisely and walked under the table, lying down underneath it.

"What would you like to drink?" The waitress asked as she took her small notebook.

When Sarah looked at Jareth he shrugged and she rolled her eyes. "Water for both of us, please."

She nodded and walked away, leaving two menu's.

"Seems like it that you get what you wanted, glitterpants." Sarah said with a smile as she looked at the menu.

Jareth lifted one eyebrow. "Beg your pardon?"

"Don't you remember what you said when I told you that you always hid your negative feelings? I recite…" Sarah leaned her elbow on the table, her head resting on it and grinning widely at him. "I was just angry that he could take you out for dinner and I couldn't."

He chuckled and grinned back at her. "Actually _you_ took _me_ out for dinner. "

The woman shrugged and snorted. "Same thing. Pretty special occasion – my first date with a Fae." Jareth laughed, mockingly puffing his chest. Sarah put the menu in front of her face between them smiling secretly. "Dating a goblin is terrific."

  
"I'm not a goblin darling." The Goblin King tried to say with as little eagerness as possible. She did just state they were dating.

Just in time the waitress came back with their water and to take their orders. They ordered and Sarah looked around. She'd been here one more time, when she was moving. The walls were deep red, candles hanging on the walls and the silk curtains closed. The ceiling was made of wood with carvings of all kinds of dances. The tables were made of oak just like the chairs which had soft seats. Her eyes directed back to the man in front of her, his face lid by the candles, holding his glass of water which unconsciously threw light into his golden eye. She blushed and took a sip from her water.

For almost the entire meal they were silent. As Sarah paid the bill Jareth raised swiftly, bowed to her and held out his hand. His eyes shot to a dance floor a few meters ahead which was completely deserted, even with the great waltz music. Sarah's lips parted, a blush creeping up her cheeks and her eyes falling down. She put her hand in his and he pulled her up, leading her to the middle of the dance floor. The Goblin King positioned her and his hands and started to dance, not caring that everyone was looking at them. The woman blushed and looked to his shoulder.

"Great way to get rid of the stiffness from the ride, isn't it?" He murmured in her ear as he noticed her shyness. "When have you danced for the last time?"

The woman looked up at him and chuckled. "The time in the ballroom was my first – and my last. I haven't danced since."

"Really?" The man said excitedly with a broad grin. "Why is that?" He slowly pulled her closer.

"I don't know, for no reason I suppose." The woman's blush became even more intense as she found herself chest to chest with him, her lips only a few inches away from his.

A smirk spread on his face. "Oh really?" He heard the song ending and knew they couldn't be dancing here all night. "Shall we continue our travel back home?" Jareth stopped dancing, bowed and placed a kiss on her knuckles, receiving another blush.

"Um, yeah it's pretty late already." Sarah giggled as she noticed how many people were staring at them. "Come on." She pulled him along to the door and exited. 


	13. *Chapter 13

Monday had passed quietly, as well most of the Tuesday. Sarah and the Goblin King had been dragging beds from the attic to the room where Jareth used to sleep for Robert, Karen and Toby. For one night he would have to sleep in the same room as Sarah and that fact made her utterly nervous. The room needed a little bit of dusting off the empty closet that was standing there and a good cleaning of the windows but that was about it. Sarah wasn't sure how close she had to watch Toby with Jareth around – the woman assumed that he wouldn't take him, knowing the circumstances but she would keep an eye on him nonetheless.

It was around a half past six now and the woman expected them any minute. She and Jareth were making a nice dinner in the kitchen, the air heavy and tense after her confession past Sunday. He hadn't made much of a move – apart from being the taunting man he always was. The problem was that she didn't know what to do, now that he knew that she might be in love with him.

Anyway – the silence that was now wrapping around them just wouldn't do. Sarah looked at him, chuckling softly as she noticed he was yet again wearing the tight jeans, black sneakers and black turtleneck. He still didn't have a job and they had yet to discuss how to get him one since he wasn't having the slightest bit of background or experience – besides taking babies and kicking goblins. Sarah really doubted he'd find a job with those skills. "Remember that you have to get a job? I think I'll let you work in the shop, part-time. You could look for something like babysitting besides that... Though I think you could better choose something else."

Jareth laughed and bumped his hip playfully against hers. "I just bet you do. What could I possibly do in your shop besides waiting for some dog-job that you would give me?"

"Well you can fill shelves, help people find what they want..." She heard the doorbell and jumped. "Okay they're here. I don't care about Karen, but be impolite to Robert and you'll die - touch Toby and your fate will be worse."

"Just get the door, drama queen." Jareth said wickedly amused when putting the baking tray in the oven.

"Jerk."

"Ice princess."

"Oh!" Sarah exclaimed. "That is _not_ tr-"

"They will leave if no one opens the door, darling." The Goblin King interrupted her smugly. She huffed and turned around to open the door. Jareth heard the door open and heard an excited yell from a young boy. He closed the oven and walked to the door opening where he could watch

He saw Sarah lift up a blonde boy, hugging it tightly and laughing happily. The boy made no attempt to get back on the ground when his father hugged the woman. Karen just gave her a sober hand without any hint of a smile on her lips.

"Please come in, dinner will be ready shortly. I already got your beds ready." Sarah put Toby down and closed the door behind them. "Jareth made dinner today, by the way. I'll introduce him to you." He watched her walking through the hall to the kitchen where she went to stand besides him. "Dad, Karen, Tobe, this is Jareth. Jareth, Robert, Toby and Karen."

Jareth shook Robert's and Karen's hand and crouched down at Toby, receiving a warning glare from the woman besides him. "Ah finally I meet the boy. Sarah talked about you a lot."

Sarah almost started laughing out loud when she saw the black dog jumping up against Karen whom backed away in fright. "Jare shoo." The black dog looked at her and walked away with a huff.

Jareth raised and looked over to Sarah, pretending not to notice Robert's angry glare. Karen, however, seemed to have enough attention for both of them, eyes lingering at his hips. The man felt slightly disgusted and tried to avoid eye contact. When trying this hard he actually didn't even notice Sarah was talking about him to her father.

"... was fun, we hiked and swam and stuff like that."

"Don't forget to mention our little game, Sarah mine." Jareth said with a wide grin.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I really doubt that they'd like to know how we played the game 'I spy' when we were bored, Jareth." Even though she sounded really careless he spotted the slight blush on her cheeks and the flash of shyness through her eyes. "Why don't you sit down and Jareth and I will finish dinner." Sarah proposed and Robert, Karen en Toby sat down on the couch in the living room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Dining with her family and Jareth was... weird. Robert and Toby sat besides each other and Karen and Jareth, Sarah sitting on the head of the table. She noticed that Jareth was shooting warning glares to Karen, Toby was secretly – which wasn't _that_ secretly - passing on food to Jare and Karen's plate and Robert was keeping a close eye on how many times Jareth looked to Sarah. The dinner made no sense at all.

The Goblin King was getting more and more annoyed every second. The older looking woman – since Jareth was actually already a few centuries old – was constantly looking at him, smiling at him and she had even touched his leg a few times. When he felt how she wound her foot around his – eating nonchalantly from her dinner – he found the idea of shoving his plate in her face more and more attractive with every move she made. Would her husband have the slightest idea of her behaviour? With a cold mask but a wickedly amused glint in his eye he decided to point it out. "My lady, if I may say so – it seems that your leg got lost underneath the table." The man saw Sarah choking on her milk, Robert stiffen in alarm and Toby trying very hard to keep himself from laughing.

Karen's limb vanished quickly, her face emotionless."Karen?" Robert asked, astonished.

"I did no such thing, darling." Karen replied, then her lips pressed together tightly.

Sarah's hand itched to made contact with Karen's cheek and it took her all her self control not to do just that.

Jareth noticed the huge swing of emotions and he raised. "I will make sure the dessert will be ready, Sarah, do you mind helping me? And Toby – I believe Jare gets enough food, you don't need to share." Toby's jaw clenched and Sarah giggled. He didn't find it necessary to say anything any more and he left, Sarah following him with slight concern – Jareth never asked for help.

As soon as the kitchen door closed behind him Jareth wrung his hands as if wringing her neck but Sarah's long fingers entangled with his. It gave him a calming feeling an he exhaled slowly. Sarah smiled at him as he turned his head, fright putting a slight dim on her eyes.

Jareth took her hands and held them. He took one calming breath and then looked back up at her. "She really infuriates me. I should feed her to the fire gang." His jaw clenched and his fingers tightened slightly.

"That sounds very tempting – but lets keep it to annoying and ignoring, alright?" Sarah smirked. "I'm afraid my daddy won't like you very much if you feed his wife to furry, wild fantasy creatures."

The Goblin King nodded silently. "Let's gwt those desserts ready."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth leaned on the arm of the couch with his chin in his hand, his ankles crossed, frowning and his fingers tapping his high cheekbone in a nervous pace. He looked down at the blonde boy sitting on the ground next to him, playing some ridiculous game with sticks against Sarah and Robert. Karen was sitting next to him, ranting about her life and how well she could play harp. The Goblin King was past annoyance and his hands itched with wanting to do something to make her shut up - anything. He was fighting for self control so hard that he didn't even notice what was happening.

Sarah sighed softly as she saw Toby trying very hard not to make the thin sticks in front of him move. Something within her stirred and made her look up at the man sitting on the couch. Her eyes widened in alarm and she jumped up, grabbing his hand and dragging him from the room. He stumbled after her, shocked and allowed her to pull him into the hall.

"Are you crazy?" Sarah hissed as she closed the door. "Will you take it easy when my family is around?"

"Could you say that to the blonde twit which is sticking to me all day?" The man growled back, his anger making way for surprise as he looked at his hands, which were glowing slightly. After a few moments Jareth exhaled sharply, turned from her and through the front door. "Goodnight." The Goblin King hissed icily, not seeing Sarah cringe at the tone he used.

Sarah clenced her jaws together and went back into the living room still frightened by what just happened. Karen seemed disappointed as she saw Jareth wasn't with her and she pouted while staring out of the window.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth gritted his teeth as he walked through the street. Outside it was already dark and silent. Lights in every house were turned off, all people already lying in their beds. There were not much street lights or any form of life to be seen besides the man strolling over the pavement. He stopped at one flickering light and looked up at it. He sighed deeply and decided to head back home. The man put his hands in his pockets, looked down and started walking again. His quiet footsteps echoed in the silence and the wind stroked his hair. 

It seemed like a very peaceful and lonely thing, but being to wrapped up in his thoughts he failed to notice the flashing eyes in the deep shadows. They didn't make any noise nor any movement but when one would touch the shadows they could feel something was hiding within. With footsteps as silent as an owl's flight they chased him to the small house.

With a sigh Jareth closed the door very silently, looking up the stairs and shaking his head. A part of him was so very tempted to go up to her, to tell her he was sorry that he had reacted so violently, another part wanted to just lie down on the couch to avoid further problems.

He went to the living room, pulled off his shoes and lie down. Jare jumped onto the couch – Jareth knowing he was not allowed to – and lie down at his side, licking his hand before he did so. The Goblin King stroked the dog gently until he fell asleep.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The first one that greeted him in the morning was a hyperactive Toby. Jare jumped off the couch in fright and Jareth gasped as the air got knocked out of his lungs, the boy rolling over the back of the couch. "Hi Jareth!" Chirped Toby.

"Good morning, young Tobias." Jareth groaned and laid his arm over his eyes, blocking out the bright sunlight. After a few seconds he removed his arm and sat up, Toby jumping onto the back of the couch. The man sighed deeply and stretched his muscles, looking what time it was on the clock on the wall. "Ten past ten – would you like to help me making breakfast?"

"Yes!" Toby said happily and bounced to the kitchen. Jareth followed, first making himself a cup of coffee first. "Can I have some too?" The boy reached out and Jareth pulled the cup back quickly.

"No no no no no. Coffee is the very last thing I will give you!" The Goblin King shook his head and started making breakfast for the family.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah walked downstairs feeling guilty. She hadn't seen Jareth since he went out the night before and she was worrying he did not come back. As she went to the living room she heard Toby laughing and heard rummaging. Quickly she went to the kitchen to make sure Toby wasn't playing with things he had to keep away from.

As she saw what was actually happening her heart skipped a beat and her lips parted. Toby was sitting on Jareth's shoulders, breaking an egg which dropped in the pan. Jareth spread it out and with another hand he kicked up a pan, turning around the pancake inside it. Toby laughed joyously and clapped his hands. Jareth handed him the salt and a hand full of spices and Toby dropped it in the pan with the egg with a broad smile on his face. Not a single inch of the kitchen got dirty or remained unused. Sarah bit her lip and kept watching.

The Goblin King handed the boy a plate with a pile of pancakes, threw up the one in the pan and it landed neatly on the others. Jareth took it back and saw Toby dropping the salt. He turned around sharply and caught it with his hand, Toby slightly thrown off guard and nearly dropping over the man's head.

The emotion Sarah saw on his face made something inside her tremble slightly. The wide, utterly joyous smirk on his lips, his eyes flashing with happiness.

Her heart sank a little bit when the smirk disappeared as he saw her. He straightened, put away the salt and lifted Toby off his shoulders. He put the kid down, ordering him to keep there and don't touch anything. The man turned the gas underneath the pans lower and turned to her. Sarah mentioned him to come with her and he followed her silently.

The first thing she did as they were alone was carefully correcting his hair, the full force of his eyes weighing down on her. After she finished she hugged him, murmuring a soft apology. Jareth wrapped his arms around her, uttering an apology of his own, then letting go of her. "I need to go back to the kitchen, dearest. Breakfast is nearly ready."


	14. *Chapter 14

"Sarah, I'm going to play in a soap." Jareth said proudly as he came walking inside the house around seven in the evening. His chest was puffed and his expression smug.

Sarah choked on her milk in a snort and looked at him. "That's great! Which soap is it?"

"It's a new one called 'Faithful', I play an artist that comes to live in a small town."

"How did you get the job?"

The Goblin King smirked. "I've been thinking of what you said, about me having a job so I've been searching for something I could really help you with."

Sarah studied his face for any sign of mockery but couldn't find any. The woman smiled sweetly and hugged him. "That's sweet of you, Jareth. But you didn't have to search for a job that gets you much money – in fact, I believe that actors in soaps get quite little money."

"One hundred thousand dollars per episode?" Jareth smirked smugly and stretched lazily. Her expression became shocked and he wrapped one arm around her, pulling her close. "And don't tell me, being the princess you are, don't want your own castle – or a bigger shop."

She rolled her eyes with a snort and put her hands against his chest. "When do you have to work?"

The Goblin King shrugged. "From one in the afternoon until nine." The playfulness on Sarah's face fell and she looked away a little bit hurt. He pulled her closer, annoyed that it upset her. "I thought you wanted me to have a job?"

"Yeah yeah, I know and you got yourself a great job." She smiled, a smile that didn't fool him for a second. Sarah raised and walked away.

Jareth grabbed her wrist and pulled her on his lap, one arm around her waist and the other sliding up on the inside of her arm to entwine his fingers with hers. "It's just four days in the week, darling. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday." He pressed his cheek against her hair, a smirk spreading over his lips. "And you get to see me every day at six no matter what." Suddenly an idea popped into his mind. "I think I even may be able to get you this job as well, if you like?"

"I stopped acting after I got laughed at and they threw food at me at the school play." She said harshly. "I'm going to bed, sleep well." The woman escaped from his grasp and made her way to the hallway.

From the corner of her eye she saw Jareth looking at her. He shifted, turning and crossing his arms on the back of the couch, resting his chin on it. "Sweet dreams, my Sarah."

The sudden gentleness surprised Sarah and she stopped in the doorway feeling a bit guilty. The woman turned around and looked at him. "I do appreciate that you're trying to help me Jareth, but don't worry, I'm a big girl. There are fireworks at the beach in tomorrow night, would you like to go with me?" She smiled softly at him while remembering the poster at the grocery store.

His expressions was soft – in Goblin King terms – and he spoke quietly. "I'd love to." His lips curving up slightly. "No clue what fireworks are but I appreciate you inviting me." Sarah giggled and left the room, leaving Jareth sitting on the couch alone. Jare put his head on his knee and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Want to go for a walk, do you?" He raised and stretched. "Well let's go then, little one."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The next morning Jareth woke up later then Sarah for once, finding her sipping coffee in the kitchen. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. "Good morning, precious." He pressed a kiss against her cheek and blinked in surprise as she gave him a kiss on the cheek back.

"Morning." Sarah sighed and took the last sip from her coffee. "What would you like to do today?"

"At least I want to dance with you again one of these days."

"Dance?"

"Of course, it has been much too long."

"Um – alright. That should take no whole day. Tonight we are going to watch the fireworks on the beach so what are we going to do this afternoon?"

Jareth exhaled leisurely. "We need to do some groceries for the next week and I had to buy a cellphone for my work so I was reachable."

"You're not really working on getting back, are you?" She asked quietly.

The man looked down at her and he sighed. "To be honest with you, my darling, I feel don't feel a real urge to get back home."

Sarah looked down at his arms. "Why?" She asked carefully and silently.

"Because I have more here then I have there. In emotional value – of course." His voice was carefully lit with amusement as he tried to read her face. It was silent for a few minutes, Sarah looking down to nothing in particular. Jareth wished that he could hear what she was thinking – this silence was unnerving. A couple minutes later he became so frustrated he felt himself locking her tighter in his arms, forcing a bit of air out of her lungs and let her notice he was waiting.

"I don't know what to say, Jareth." Sarah looked forward. "What do you expect me to say?" The woman felt his grip on her waist loosen and finally disappear.

When she turned around he was taking Jare to the front door to take a walk. He opened the door and stepped outside, just before the door fell closed he spoke softly. "Never mind."

Great. Leaving her like that. She wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself and sighed. 

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah and Jareth walked silently to the beach in the sunset, Jareth being silent because he preferred so and Sarah kept her lips sealed because she felt awkward about earlier that day. They took some snacks with them to eat while watching the fireworks. They would let off the fireworks from a ship to create enough distance between the fireworks and the viewers.

The woman jumped as she felt a warm hand come to rest on her right shoulder and she looked up at Jareth at her left whom kept looking forward. She had known him for long enough now to understand that this was an apology. Sarah moved slightly closer to him and watched how the beach came into view.

They sat down at an empty space after spreading out the fabric they had brought with them.

Sarah offered him an apple and he refused silently. With a shrug she lifted it to her mouth and bit off a piece. She stirred as she saw how he watched intently and her eyes went to the sunset, her cheeks colored.

In silence they watched how the sun set. "You've never seen fireworks?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence that had been stretching for far too long.

"Not in my life as a Fae." Jareth smiled at her raised eyebrow.

"Like you can remember anything before that." Sarah muttered darkly which drew a laugh from Jareth. She looked forward and then to the watch around her wrist. "It can start any moment now. I have to warn you, fireworks are loud." The man nodded and looked towards the sky expectantly and eagerly. A few minutes later the first one went up into the air and a broad smirk of amazement stretched on his lips. Sarah giggled and felt her heart rate going up. The woman sat closer to him and watched the colourful show in the air. The Goblin King wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer, obviously wanting to share the excitement.

Jareth had never seen anything like this before. The loud sound of explosions didn't bother him since he was used to goblins – probably the loudest creatures of all time. He felt her relaxing and leaning closer against him and he rested his temple against the crown of her head.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

There was a short break after half an hour of fireworks which Jareth used to – unfortunately – leave her warmth and went to the stand further down the beach to get them some food. When he got back he wasn't certain to just crawl back against her like he wanted to, or just sit down making no contact. He sat down besides her, not touching and handed her her food. Jareth was surprised and really pleased when he felt Sarah lean against him again. They ate silently and Sarah smiled as they finished. "It's funny how excited you are about these fireworks."

"I recall you were just as excited when you first saw me, standing in your parents bedroom." He said smugly.

She giggled and nudged him in his ribs. "I wasn't!"

He pulled her closer. "Yes, you were." She huffed dramatically. When looking up, seeing the show starting again she kept quiet after a playful snort.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

After half an hour of fireworks Sarah had pretty much seen it and she looked up to Jareth. The man was still looking to the sky with wonder. Suddenly the arm around her shoulders felt much warmer than it had only seconds ago. While studying his face very closely she wondered why she had been oblivious to his handsome face all those years ago. As if someone controlled her arm she reached out and touched the corner of his jaw on the other side of his head, sliding it to his chin. Jareth looked down at her questioningly. Sarah studied his face, unconsciously following his features with her fingers.

Jareth closed his eyes at the feel of her fingertips tracing his skin. He felt emotions stir and he tried as hard as possible to hide the want in his eyes as he opened them.

Obviously he was screwing up because the green orbs in front of him became the slightest bit fearful. There were too much emotions flashing through her eyes, leaving him hanging with just the tiniest bit of information.

"Sarah?" His eyes widened as Sarah suddenly leant over and brushed her lips against his. He heard the sky rumble and he pulled back, looking up at the sky. When he looked back down at her she looked away from him shyly, a blush dusting her cheeks. As she parted her lips he quickly placed his hand at the back of her neck and pressed her lips back against his. Thunder rolled through the sky and it started pouring in a matter of seconds. Their lips parted again and they looked up.

With bright red cheeks she started to gather everything and she was pleasantly surprised when she felt how Jareth covered her with his denim jacket. They left quickly, nearly jogging through the streets.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

When they arrived home they were both soaked and they quickly moved through the house to get themselves warmed up before they would catch a cold. Sarah was collecting an oversized black t-shirt, and loose grey pants. After that she threw them in the bathroom and called to Jareth she'd be the first one to freshen herself up.

After her shower she found Jareth in his room in front of the window, his back to her, wearing boxers only and ruffling a hand through his hair. Sarah blushed – as usual when she saw his chest or his back – and was still amazed by his tattoo. He turned around suddenly, he strode towards her and caught her lips in a startling harsh manner.

Sarah backed away – not in rejection of the kiss - but in shock of the boldness and frustration his lips expressed. She looked up at him and saw even more confusion. To sign that she meant him no harm, she smiled slightly and mentioned to the bathroom. "Go ahead and freshen up, we could watch a move after that. "

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah had absolutely no idea how they ended up like this. They were laying in her bed. The woman was curled up against his side, her head tucked under his chin, her hand feeling his heartbeat, her cheek feeling the vibration of his chest as he hummed softly. She still wore the t-shirt and the pants, and he was wearing one of the low slung pants she gave him and a black, warm and soft sweater. Jareth was lying contently stretched over her bed, his feet nearly dangling off the end because he was so tall, one of his hands tucked under his neck and the other holding her waist. His piercing blue eyes were still wide open while hers kept falling shut. She jumped up as the ringing of the phone startled her.

The Goblin King chuckled and Sarah nudged him as she answered the phone on her nightstand. The man watched her expression going from slightly groggy to excited, then confused and after that pondering. As she hung up the phone he was curious to know what was being able to let all those emotions flash over her face in such a short time. "What is it darling?"

"Um, a friend will come over tomorrow with her husband. They are going out for a day and they asked me to take care of her kid." His expression was relaxed and lazy, like a giant sleepy cat, so she continued. "She's a little bit more then a year old and very quiet and very shy, so please don't scare her tomorrow. They will drop her off at ten and pick her up at six." 

Sarah yelped as he pulled her back to him, pulling her against his chest and chuckling softly. Surprisingly she didn't struggle to get away and he inhaled her scent. The woman in his arms was quickly falling asleep and he listened to the slowing of her heartbeat with closed eyes.

After ten minutes she was asleep and Jareth opened his eyes, looking up to the ceiling. A wide grin spread over his features. Sarah had taken the initiative for the kiss – not him. The emotions raging through her eyes had been nearly overwhelming. The Goblin King nearly purred when he thought about the steps he was able to make now. Kissing her goodbye when leaving for work, sweeping her occasionally off her feet just to plant his lips against hers or perhaps kissing her when she was bored or annoyed – perhaps she would taste different.

Jareth glided off the bed, careful not to wake Sarah. He pressed a kiss on her brow, a sleepy murmur called him softly.


	15. *Chapter 15

Sarah yelped and bolted upright, her heart pounding painfully.

Jareth was lying limply on top of the pillows, still neatly dressed but asleep. He was snoring very softly and Sarah kept looking at him for a while. Sometimes he wrinkled his nose, pulling his eyebrows together and pursing his lips, would ruffle through his hair, reposition his head, part his lips or sigh. His features were soft and he looked very peaceful.

The woman felt her playful side lean over and greet him good morning with a teasing kiss. At first his lips were unmoving but after a few moments they started to respond. He made a soft rumbling sound, something that could be a moan or a raspy sigh. His hand moved to the back of her head. Then he exhaled slowly and held back a bit, their lips still touching. "Good morning, minx. Couldn't make your own breakfast could you?"

She chuckled and pulled back. "Why would I do it myself when I have a cute goblin doing it for me?" Sarah teased, feeling the butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm not cute." He murmured groggily.

"True." Sarah smirked. "You're adorable."

The Goblin King wrapped his arm around her, still not having opened his eyes yet, pulled her against his chest, his shoulder holding her down as he rolled on top of her. "And you," Jareth muttered against her neck. "Are far too girly so very early." Sarah giggled and he slightly nuzzled her neck. "So be a good goblin mistress and let your breakfast slave sleep a while longer."

"Breakfast slave, eh? So that's what I get for 'fear me, love me, do as I say'…" Sarah kept babbling.

"Whatever." Jareth really wasn't a morning person today, she noted while giggling. Playfully she just went on chirping about what they could do and eat today. After four minutes or so Jareth suddenly bit in her neck warningly, nibbling on the flesh once more as he heard Sarah finally shut up. "Good girl." Jareth sighed and hugged her closer against him.

"You bit me!"

Jareth sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine, fine. You'll get your breakfast you little brat." He pushed himself up with a grunt and ruffled through his already very messed hair. Sarah giggled and snuggled into the pillows. "No no no no, you're coming with me." The man pulled at her legs, gripped her wrist, threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and went downstairs.

"Hey! That's no way to treat your mistress!" The woman exclaimed. She felt him goose her and she jumped slightly. Finally he put her back down, finding herself on the kitchen table.

He pushed himself between her legs and pulled her closer by the knees. "I told you not to defy me. And stop chattering like you just did or I'll find a much better use for that mouth of yours." He said while touching his lips with hers only so very softly. After that he turned around and started making breakfast.

Ten minutes long Sarah followed how he effortlessly made them breakfast and when he turned back to her to probably say something like 'your food, ice princess' she smiled and pulled him closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Jareth was pleasantly surprised and Sarah pulled back with a broad smile, keeping him very close.

"I love you, Jareth."


	16. *Chapter 16

Jareth blinked in surprise, pinned to the spot. He suddenly felt small, overpowered. He studied her very closely, wanting to capture the grin on her lips, the blush on her cheeks and the shine in her eyes which nearly blinded him. This couldn't be real – she couldn't have said that. His fingers digged slightly in her legs, partly to make sure that this was actually happening and partly to keep himself from his knees getting weak. "Say it again."

She saw the heavy emotions in his eyes and the set of his lips. Her blush brightened. She didn't just blurt out the confession… Well, maybe a little. But she meant it. Somewhere while they taunted, the smugness, she came to love the man. She found herself liking his nosiness, his strange temper, his voice, his face, his queries. Though now he told her to say it again she felt something gripping her lungs. Uncertainty filled her eyes. "I-I… I love you."

Suddenly the brightest smile spread over his lips, he gripped her waist, pulled her closer and crushed his lips against hers. Sarah allowed herself to enjoy the kiss but when she felt him fumbling with the back of her bra – she didn't even notice he got there - she backed away fearfully, breaking the contact of their lips. At first Jareth followed her but he held back when he felt her shy away again. With his eyes still closed he whispered an apology, his hands digging slightly in her sides. Sarah bit her lip, trying very hard to find her voice. "Just, don't go so fast." She tried to make it sound gentle but her voice was a bit huskier then planned. 

He pressed a kiss on her lips very softly. "I love you too, precious." She blushed and looked down, shying away from him slightly. The man pulled her against him, keeping her in a warm embrace. The long comfortable silence got interrupted by the sound of Sarah's stomach. Sarah giggled, her cheeks becoming red again. He grinned and pulled her from the table, finding her knees a little bit weak. Jareth put her on a chair and put her breakfast in front of her. "Enjoy your meal, sweetheart." The man purred as he looked at her with amusement.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Really, Sarah could never have guessed that their relationship could become any more awkward. She opened the front door when the doorbell rang and she grinned. "Yessica!" The woman embraced each other. "You haven't changed a bit!" Sarah chirped as she took in the woman with long black hair, bright blue highlights, very light blue eyes, taut face, thin lips and rock clothes.  
  
"Neither did you! Come on, Ramon!" She called over her shoulder. A tall man with dark red hair, black highlights, a slightly rounded face, thin lips, dark brown eyes and quite normal clothes for a man married to a rock-fan. In his arms he held a small babe with black hair wearing simple black baby pyjamas.

Yessica smiled apologetically. "Um, yeah… Leah started crying when we wanted to take it off." She took the babe from her husband and handed it to her. Sarah smiled and gently stroked the baby's face.

"Come in, I'd like to introduce you to Jareth." The woman let the couple in and closed the door behind her. When she stepped into the living room, Jareth was playing with Jare while sitting on the couch. "Jareth, this is Yessica and Ramon and their baby Leah." Jareth raised, gave them both a hand and smiled at the baby.

He noticed the struggle in Sarah's eyes as she decided whether to let him hold the babe or not but she held the babe out to him. The man took her with a smile and the baby woke up. For a second Sarah thought it would start crying but to her surprise it started laughing joyously while reaching out to his face. The Goblin King smirked and let the baby take his finger in her small hand.

Yessica and Ramon nodded to each other. "Well, we're off. We'll be back this afternoon and then we'll catch up a little."

Sarah waved the couple goodbye after receiving a few stuff they would need to care for Leah and she went back to the living room. Jareth was still holding the babe, tickling her. Leah giggled happily and kicked and waved with her feet and hands. Sarah sat close next to him and took the baby from his lap. She smiled and held it carefully. The Goblin King wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah was quite shocked when she discovered that they had been playing and singing to the child for nearly three hours. Jareth had taken some small fabrics and nestled the child in it after Sarah fed her. She didn't knew what caused her to become so touched all of sudden. She had been taking care for babies more often. Sarah shot a glance to Jareth whom was making her lunch, moving through the kitchen skilfully. A blush rose to her cheeks and she felt some weird sort of fear grip her by the neck. Perhaps it was Jareth that made her feel like a fresh mother.

The man in the kitchen was preparing lunch while humming softly when he suddenly felt someone watching him. He smirked and continued. "Like what you see, precious?" He turned around and grinned as he saw her sitting, blushing, on the kitchen table. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "You have been blushing a lot today, Sarah mine. Change of environment perhaps?"

She felt frustrated that he was so easily able to figure her out and make her uncomfortable with it. Sarah looked down to the ground, her blush reaching up even higher on her cheekbones. Her chin got lifted up by his forefinger and she looked straight into a pair of blue eyes. The man leaned forward and brushed his lips softly against hers. "One day _we_ might be the lucky couple, but not yet, love." With that, he turned back to the counter where he had been making lunch.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The woman looked how Jareth changed the kid's diapers easily, not hesitating once, not using the wrong products or making the little girl uncomfortable. It seemed like a natural thing to him. In what seemed a record time he had changed them into a fresh one and Leah chirped happily, reaching out to his face. Jareth took her in his arms, a smirk spreading over his thin lips as he watched the kid starting to grab his shirt in an attempt to crawl to his shoulder. The man pried them away easily, not even upsetting her and lay her back in the nest of warm fabrics. It was absolutely obvious to Sarah that Jareth was enjoying every single second of this.

After a few minutes Sarah noticed Leah was getting really tired and she pulled Jareth away from the kid. "Give Leah a break, Jareth. She's tired." He pulled her on the couch after him, drawing a yell from her lips. The man wrapped his arms around her waist, locking her against his body and keeping her there. It felt simply delicious to notice the difference in struggle.

A while later the doorbell rang. She raised after carefully removing the arms of the now sleeping Goblin King from her waist. She opened the door and greeted the couple that were holding hands and smiling at her. "Did you have fun?"

Ramon nodded happily, his smile getting bigger. "It was great – thank you very much for babysitting Leah, I hope she wasn't too much of a bother."

"No not at all, please come in." Sarah let them in and closed the door behind him.

Yessica laughed as they entered the room. "It seems like you were the bother here."

The woman shushed her with a smirk and led them to the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?" 

"So who, is this Jareth _really_?" Yessica asked her curiously.

"Well I met him when I was fifteen, after that I hadn't spoken him a few years and some weeks ago he came to me for help."

"Couldn't he get the zipper from his jeans open?" Yessica asked mischievously and Sarah choked on her coffee. She snorted as Sarah started to object. "Oh come on Sarah – I recognise a horny man when I see one."

"It's not – I never… We didn't even have sex!" Sarah sputtered uncomfortable, her cheeks becoming bright red.

"Not yet – that's for certain. When I first saw him looking at you I could almost _hear_ him tearing of your clothes." The woman said calmly and trying to keep her face straight.

Sarah really hoped Jareth hadn't heard that. "Oh come on, Yess."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Sarah. I can feel those kind of tensions. I felt it with Ramon as well." Her husband choked on his drink, similar how Sarah had done it a few seconds ago.

"I think Sarah isn't really interested in those kind of things, honey." He said calmly.

"Only trying to make my point." Yessica took another sip from her coffee and crossed her legs. Sarah thought to see her eyes flash to something behind her but could have easily imagined it with the swift eyes of her friend. "So do you _want_ it?"

Sarah had always been the kind of girl that had attracted really weird friends. Yessica was no exception. She had never been afraid of asking anything and somehow she could always get her answer so it was no use avoiding the question. "I don't know." She didn't bother that there was a man in the room, Ramon was a very good friend of hers and she didn't mind that he heard their girl talk. "Sometimes I feel the urge to punch him in the face… but I guess I want to sometimes."

"Good you made the mistake of saying that out loud." She looked down to her coffee before taking another sip.

She could practically _feel_ Jareth smirking down at her smugly, but she refused to turn around and went on with the conversation like nothing happened. "So are you still singing?" She asked Yessica airily.

"Of course, it's only a shame you don't anymore. I still think you should have just continued singing instead of starting your own business. You were really good." Sarah jumped as she suddenly felt two arms drape over her shoulders and she looked up at Jareth.

"You _sang_, sweetheart?" He purred.

"Yeah." The woman said with a shrug.

"You should start singing again!" Yessica chirped happily, bouncing up and down.

Sarah turned the empty cup in her hands around and pondered. "I _could_… I don't know though. I don't think I'd be able to leave Jare behind. He wouldn't really fit in a tour bus."

"Please Sarah, please!" Yessica bent over the table, took her hands and smiled broadly. "You were really good! I have connections! We could start up our band again!"

"What about your babe?" Sarah suddenly said.

The woman in front of her retreated, putting her hands on her lap. "Well, we'll only be on stage for two hours tops, we could hire a babysitter that travels with us."

"We'd have to practice, write songs, perform and lots of other things. Please be a bit reasonable Yessica." Sarah said calmly. She's love to sing again, she really would, but that didn't mean that she would allow herself to loose her head.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you what. We are going to perform next weekend in New York. I know a place where lots of people come and I have the right connections. If we suck that night, or we won't meet someone that wants to be our manager you can go back selling clothes in this boring little town." Yessica saw Sarah still wasn't entirely convinced. "Please?" She said in a whining little voice.

Sarah sighed deeply and raised, Jareth's arms falling from her shoulders. "Okay fine! We'll try." Yessica cheered, jumped up and threw her arms around Sarah.

The baby started crying and like someone just smacked Jareth against the head he turned around. He saw the babe kicking away the fabrics and he walked over to her, picking her up and holding her in his arms. Leah's crying got softer as the man that held her shushed her gently and after a few seconds she was silent.

It surprised everyone, even Jareth when Leah suddenly yelled happily and yanked harshly on the amulet he always wore around his neck. The Goblin King pried her small fingers from the amulet, lifted it and put it underneath his clothes where she couldn't reach it. Sarah was at his side swiftly and looked Jareth quietly in the eyes while she took the baby out of his arms.

Ramon joined them in the living room and took his child, trying to figure out what had suddenly made her cry out like that. Leah started crying, reaching out to Jareth, in one hand holding a white feather.

No one knew how the babe got it.

Suddenly Sarah realized what the feather was and she looked at Jareth whom was frowning, taking a step back and looking at Leah.

"What's wrong with her?" Ramon muttered as he tried several things to calm her which usually worked.

Yessica took the feather the child held. "Where the hell did she get this? You don't have a bird, do you Sarah?" The woman looked closely to the long, pure white and soft feather. "Though, I've never seen a bird with a feather like this." Sarah took it from her and quickly put it away.

"I'm sure it came in through the front door or the window or something like that. Would you like some more coffee?"

The couple looked at each other and then shook their heads. "No, it's better that we leave. Perhaps Leah just wants to go home." Yessica said with a smile. "We'll pick you up next weekend at one in the afternoon. Bye Sarah." Yessica hugged her tightly and smiled at Jareth. "Hope I'll see you next week too, Jareth." The man nodded at her and Ramon gave Sarah a hug and Jareth a hand and gathered the baby's stuff.

Sarah and Jareth waved them goodbye and when they were back in the living room Sarah took the feather and held it in front of him. "How the hell did she get this?" Her voice was cold.

"I don't know." The Goblin King tried to catch the feather but she pulled away. He narrowed his eyes grabbed her wrist in a lightning fast movement and pulled the feather out of her hand. "I have not given it, I haven't shown my wings, I didn't pull off my shirt and I didn't even turn my back on her!"

"Then why did she have that feather?!" The woman hissed while sternly pointing at the object.

He took one step forward and put his hands on both sides of the couch's back she was now pressed against. "How many times I have to say that I have no clue how she got it? I hate repeating myself, Sarah."

"I should have known that you'd want her." She said more to herself then to him. "That was what this was all about wasn't it? Tricking my into believing that you could be a good father – that you could actually care for a child when _not_ wanting to turn it into a goblin!" Sarah struggling to get out of his grasp but it was no use for he was so many times stronger then her. "Let me go! I don't want to talk to you!"

He took her chin with his thumb and his forefinger and forced her to look at him. He waited for a few seconds for her to calm down a bit. "_Do_ tell me if I ever lied to you, Sarah." His eyes pinned her to the spot, now one leg and one hand trapping her.

Sarah looked down at their current position and she blushed. When he sighed, annoyed, she quickly looked up and then over his shoulder. "How should I know?"

"You know." Jareth said sternly while stepping closer to her in frustration. He saw her gasping in surprise, her hands against his chest, trying to push him back. Her struggle strengthened, obviously because of fear. The man wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, tucking her head under his chin. "You know why." He repeated, this time speaking softly. "Let's just hope she'll forget about it and that it won't happen again."

The woman nodded and looked to the feather he still held. "It _is_ beautiful though… Can I have it?"

"Make an educated guess." Jareth snorted and put the feather away. 


	17. *Chapter 17

Sarah huffed as she sat behind the counter. She had been working for just a few hours and she already wanted a vacation again. After being two weeks with Jareth she felt rather lonely.

That Selma wasn't here made it even worse.

The poor girl's mother had died around a week ago and she had left to be at her burial. Sarah felt really awful for the girl. Her younger twin brothers had died in a car accident, her father had killed himself after that and for some reason – Selma didn't want to tell it – none of her aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews wanted to talk to her. So in the matter of fact, her mother had been her only support left. Now that she was gone Selma had collapsed entirely, often three hours late and arriving this day at work with an apology for having to leave early today.

Sarah hadn't opened the shop right away this day. For two hours she had been comforting Selma in the room behind the shop while she had been crying her eyes out.

This made things a lot more difficult for Sarah as well. She wouldn't be able to go touring any time soon. She refused to fire Selma now that things were so tough for her already.

The woman grabbed her cell phone, going through the list with numbers and scrolled down. Her thumb hesitated at the green button as she looked at the new number. After a sigh she pressed on the button and waited for an answer.

"Pizza delivery Pepperoni, how can I help you?" A male voice said on the other side.

"Very funny, shish kebab." Sarah said dryly. "I was actually looking for the other jerk."

"Cut it out, Larren." She heard the familiar voice chuckle. "Hi darling." He purred and she heard some guys at the other end laughed and howled like wolves, now noticing the phone was on speaker.

"Hi sweetheart," Sarah said fakely sweet. "I just called you to ask where you put the whip after last night?" Suddenly the unknown guys fell silent but Jareth laughed.

"Oh dear, it could be everywhere. Hang on." She heard him raise, turning off the speaker and stepping outside, a quite fierce wind blowing against the microphone. "So, what's the problem?"

"Shouldn't you be working?"

"Says the woman who runs her own business." Jareth said with a chuckle. "We were just having a break, Sarah. Is there something wrong?"

Sarah sighed. "Not really. I'm alone in the shop, Selma left early today for her mother's funeral."

"Well it's just past five, why don't you close the shop? I won't be back in another three to four hours so you've got plenty of time to yourself."

"Hm, maybe I will. Will you be home for dinner?"

"No I'll just get something when I get home. I have to go now though. Until tonight, precious."

"Good luck with acting, drama queen." Sarah chuckled and hung up. She took all her stuff and called Jare, closing the shop.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jare was panting as Sarah entered the house. Somehow she was exhausted and she went upstairs to run a bath. After she bathed she went downstairs in a tank top and hot pants. She didn't know why but the weather had gone from windy and neutral to a bit annoyingly warm. Sarah hoped that _if_ she would get to tour, the weather would be less fickle. The woman gathered various stuff and ingredients in the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth waved a goodbye to a colleague that dropped him off and opened the front door. He could smell dinner and he went to the kitchen, where the scent came from. Sarah was sitting on the kitchen table, her back to him, her arms and legs deliciously bare and her hair hanging down in damp curls. Obviously she was daydreaming because she didn't turn around or made any other sign that she noticed he got home.

He pressed a soft kiss on the sensitive place behind her ear and wrapped one arm around her. "Hello Sarah."

"Hi Jareth." Sarah said while looking to a picture on the wall. She turned her head to him and smiled. "So how was your first day at work?" The woman yelped as he took her legs and turned her to him, a smile on his lips.

"It was fun. How was your boring day at work?" The man asked playfully.

Sarah chuckled and put her hands on both sides of her hips, leaning on them. "Boring."

He nodded. "I see. So…" His hands slightly tightened on her legs and a feral smirk spread over his lips. "Did you find your whip?" It was obvious that Sarah's day with lack of event made her more playful.

She pouted fakely. "No I've searched everywhere."

"I guess we'll have to find a replacing item for tonight then." He bent closer to her and slightly nuzzled her neck.

"Yeah right." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Dinner is almost ready. It's been a while since I cooked…" Sarah gasped as she felt him kissing her neck. "I know that there's a phrase that says 'kiss the cook' but I don't need a complete ravishing." 

"Hm, pity. Maybe I should just kiss you then."

"I think you should stop thinking. You've got your portion for the next few hours." The woman hopped off the kitchen table and checked dinner. The man smirked and raked a hand through his hair.

Sarah watched his hair which had now almost reached his shoulders and she shook her head. "We're going to cut your hair today. It's getting too long." She muttered while splitting the food up and putting it on the plates.

Jareth sat down and looked at her with one raised eyebrow. "What do you mean? I was just getting excited that I was getting my normal self again." He said defensively.

"It may be some normal hairdo in the Underground but in my world you are starting to look like a poodle. How is it even possible that it grows so fast?" She saw Jareth crossing his arms stubbornly. "Whining like a kid isn't going to help, Jareth." Sarah yelled as he wrapped his arms around her waist as soon as she had put down everything and he pulled her onto his lap.

"I could always make _you_ whine…" The Goblin King murmured in her ear.

"I could always punch you unconscious." She said just as seductively and grinned at his frown, rising as he let go, sitting down on her own chair.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah felt immensely uncomfortable during dinner. His eyes had been watching every time her eyes caught his and she had seen his eyes gliding over her neck, shoulders and cleavage with a tilt of his head that made obvious that he wasn't simply looking.

As soon as she raised to do the dishes she felt his gaze upon her like a heavy blanket. She didn't know why but somehow it excited her. The woman took her time to clean everything and she felt the man growing more and more impatient.

Jareth watched her with his lip slightly curled up in frustration. The way she was wasting time with her annoyingly slow motions was like she was daring him to just sweep her off her feet and make her tell him again that she wanted him.

It wasn't fair at all.

When she reached up to – who knows why – clean the kitchen cabinets he felt his patience snap. The man grabbed her sides and yanked her to him, Sarah landing roughly on his lap. He felt her sharp intake of breath and he growled against her neck. "Sarah, what the hell are you doing?"

_[AN: AAHHH - HORMONES!! Get them off me! D8]_

The woman held on tight to the cloth in her hands and she felt like her cheeks just had caught fire. "W-what are you talking about?" She tried to say casually.

"You know bloody well what I mean, precious. What are you afraid of?" As soon as he noticed she was going to ask the same question as she did just a second ago his fingers dug warningly in her sides.

"I'm not afraid of anything." The woman suddenly said airily.

He smirked widely. "Great." She didn't know how, but somehow he had managed to turn her to face him faster then she thought was possible. His palm pressed against her lower back as his fingers splayed, forcing her closer to him and his other hand rested calmly on her leg. The blush on Sarah's cheeks crept up higher and down her neck. Suddenly his lips were upon hers. 


	18. *Chapter 18

[AN: warning: hormones~]  
  
Jareth had thought Sarah would pull away when he made the move, but surprisingly she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely and leisurely returned the kiss. He noticed she was being a tease because every time he tried to deepen the kiss she'd move back just enough to avoid it and every time he let his hands wonder she pulled his hair, dug her nails in the nape of his neck or touch some point on his spine that sent a shiver down his back which completely distracted him. At some point Sarah started to dangle her legs on each side of his body, her hands playing with his hair. He growled, frustrated and bit her lower lip in a warning. The Goblin King jumped when Sarah pinched him warningly.

He growled and let go of her lips, leaving them pinker and swollen, and bit softly in her jaw, receiving a surprised yelp from her. His lips burned a path down her throat, Sarah leaning her head back and closing her eyes. He chuckled, his breath gliding over her neck and making her shiver.

Sarah jumped, gasping as the doorbell rang. She looked to Jareth uncertainly whom only grinned and leaned forward to her neck again. When the bell rang again she shook her head and pushed herself away. "I want to know who it is." The woman raised.

When she opened she saw a face she didn't expect to see again. "Gaz?" She said in total shock.

The man smirked. "Hi Sarah. Could I come in?"

"Well actually…" Sarah jumped, already tense, when she felt Jareth's arms wrap around her waist, his cheek against her neck.

"Hello again, can we help you?" Jareth said coldly as he pulled Sarah closer against him. Gaz frowned and stuttered a bit. "No? Great. Then I have Sarah all to myself again now." He pulled her back, Sarah stumbling and blinking in surprise as he kicked the door closed. Her heart fluttered as she felt him kissing her neck and pulling her closer.

"Wait – Jareth…" She tried to pry his hands from her waist but felt her knees grow weak. His lips went back to hers and she felt her hands travel up his chest to hold his cheeks, his muscles jumping at her touch. She let go of his lips, feeling how his brushed from her jaw to her neck. While she leaned her head back she laughed, her hands pushing him back. "Jareth wait – this isn't romantic at all."

"Why would it have to be _romantic_?" He asked, slightly husky, knowing what she meant but pretending to be completely oblivious because he was enjoying himself.

The woman let out another laugh. "Because I _want_ it to be _special_."

"You want candles and roses? I can do that."

"No no no no no no." She smirked and finally succeeded in pushing him back. When she looked in his eyes it frightened how dark and wild his eyes were, his hair messy. "I mean it." She said with a small smile.

"Alright then." He touched his lips with hers, murmuring softly against them. "And how did you intent to be romanced?"

Sarah leaned back a little, keeping her arms wrapped around him and lifted one eyebrow. "We are going to cut your hair first, like we planned. We'll see what happens after that. Come on."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah was cutting his hair with a wide grin on her face. She was openly enjoying his pouting expression and behaviour. "I wonder if your work is going to make a problem of this."

"Well to be honest…"

"None of your excuses involved."

The Goblin King huffed. "They were planning on cutting it... I objected."

"Great!" The woman cut a long lock off and tickled his face with it. His lips pressed into a thin line and his sharp eyes turned to her, making very clear he'd do the same to her with _her_ hair if she didn't stop out right now. "Oh please – don't be so childish! It's only your hair! Here, take some more chocolate." Sarah grabbed a small chocolate ball and pushed it behind his lips, Jareth's eyes blinking in surprise. She cut off a few other strands and leaned forward to rake with her fingers through his hair. After a few more cuts she smiled and bent back, not noticing that she had just made Jareth aware of the colour and lace of her bra. "There, you look great. This length of hair suits you." The woman said with a satisfied smile.

When Sarah handed him a mirror he looked in it, raking his hand through his hair a few times. It was now so short it couldn't even wave in a breeze, the locks on the top of his head reaching until the tip of his ears and the locks at his forehead just slightly longer then that. "It's not fair." He muttered darkly after putting away the mirror, raising and watching how Sarah started to clean up.

"Nothing in life is, you know that." The woman muttered. The Goblin King leaned against the wall, crossing his ankles and arms. He looked down to the ground, still frustrated that his hair was so short now. Sarah moved to his front after she was done and lifted his chin. "Hey, you look good! Really." She encouraged him. Probably due to the ego boost, he moved forward, taking her lips with his. Sarah gasped and her breath quickened slightly as his hands travelled up her back, pressing her against him. 

"I'm going to take a short shower, don't eat all the chocolates, I like them." The man stated and after another soft nip he went upstairs.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

After Sarah had cleaned the living room she sighed softly and looked to the box with chocolates.

A box that wasn't there.

She raised one eyebrow and put her hands on her sides. "Geez Jareth, you can be so selfish sometimes." The woman muttered more to herself then the person she should be talking to. After an hour the man had yet to get downstairs and it made Sarah wonder what the hell he was doing.

She made her way upstairs, seeing that the bathroom was empty and clean. Her eyes shifted to the closed door of his room. The woman went to stand in front of it with her hands on her hips. "Hey Jareth, what's up with the sudden disappearance?"

"I'm not hiding for anything." He said from the other side of the door, a laugh colouring his voice.

"How about the chocolates?"

"Oh, but darling, they are right here. Come in and you can have as many as you want."  
  
Sarah sighed, rolled her eyes and opened the door, stepping in swiftly. She yelped as he closed the door, standing in the corner of the room besides . He was leaning against the wall with crossed ankles, one of the chocolates between his thumb and forefinger. The room was lit by candles, Sarah assuming he did so because he was 'allergic' to electric light. He pushed himself off the wall, standing right in front of her, holding the chocolate near her face, offering it to her. As Sarah raised her hand to take it he quickly pulled it back. "Na-ah." The man moved the chocolate closer to her again, keeping it close enough to her mouth to drop the hint but too far away to take it without bending forward.

With slight hesitation she bent forward, keeping her eyes glued to his as she took it between her lips. Jareth grinned, his arm sliding smoothly around her waist and pulling her closer. The woman looked down, seeing he wore a black, low slung pants and a dark red, unbuttoned shirt. Her eyes slowly rose back to his and she felt the strong urge to look away again, admitting to it shyly. Somehow she felt trapped in this room.

Just as she directed her eyes back to his he closed the last bit of space between them, titling her chin up and moved forward to kiss her. After a few seconds she felt herself starting to lean in deeper. Her hands travelled up his chest and linked behind his neck, hearing Jareth sigh contently.

"Have you eaten them all?" Sarah asked against his lips.

He smirked, moving to rest his cheek on hers while whispering in her ear. "Hm, search me."

Sarah leaned back to look at him, raising one eyebrow. She looked around to the nightstand, assuming they'd be there. "That was a bit of a low blow, don't you think? That I don't have any babies doesn't mean that you can kidnap my chocolate."

"Ah what a little delicious drama queen you are, again." He chuckled while kissing her neck once.

"Hey they were quite expensive and they happen to be my favourite."

"Hm." The man mused with a grin and took a sudden big step towards the nightstand. He turned them around and sat down, pulling her on his lap. One of his hands travelled up her back to wind into her hair and the other reached for another chocolate.

This time it was Sarah who kissed him and he wrapped both arms around her and pressed her close against him. He felt her shiver as he traced her spine with one finger, her name leaving his lips quietly. A smirk spread over his lips and she felt her heart jump. He moved to her neck very slowly and his arms tightened around her. Sarah closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of him nipping her throat. She shifted on his lap a little bit uncomfortably, causing him to inhale swiftly through his teeth, his arms pulling her closer.

"Jareth, I…" She seemed a bit lost in words she stuttered a bit more and Jareth leaned closer with a smirk.

"You…?" The Goblin King purred, amused.

"I think you…"

He raised one eyebrow, suppressing the urge to laugh at her loss of thought. "Spit it out sweetheart."

"Well… Shouldn't we…" She became bright red, feeling very embarrassed and uncomfortable. "Shouldn't we use some… um, precaution?"

The smile on his face disappeared and he raised one eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Sarah looked down shyly. "I… I don't mean to insult you." She looked up at him, still seeing the not-amused-Goblin-King expression on his face. The woman looked away again and moved away from him, feeling the heat she had felt just seconds ago drop and turn into what seemed ice water. "I'll just-"

"Stay right where you are." He stated simply. Swiftly she moved her eyes back up and her blush darkened when he grinned knowingly. "Don't worry, love. Fae can't impregnate human females."

"Are you sure?" 

"I am. Now, as you earthlings put it, give me some sugar." He purred, grinning widely as he leaned forward, reveling in the sound of her giggle.


	19. *Chapter 19

Jareth opened his eyes slowly, closing them right away when bright sunlight shone brutally in his eyes. He rolled over, wrapped his arms around the from laying next to him and settled against her, sighing contently at her warmth. His nose buried in her soft raven hair and his fingertips traced the soft skin of her hips. Sarah turned in her sleep, muttering something in her dreams. One arm wrapped around his waist.

Suddenly she jerked upright, the sheet sliding down her body, her eyes wide open while calling his name.

The Goblin King was a little bit thrown off guard by her sudden awakening and his eyes had fled open as soon as she jumped up. "I'm right here, Sarah." His arms wrapped around her and pulled her down with him, pulling her against him closely. Her eyes were still wide open, her lips parted and her breath swift as she stared in shock. His lips brushed against her forehead once and he held her in a warm embrace, his fingers massaging circles on her back. Slowly she calmed down, and when she completely relaxed in his hold she let out a sigh and rubbed her cheek over his collarbone in contentment. "What did you dream about?" The man asked softly.

"I…I'm not certain… Oh, I woke up earlier, around seven or so, and I called Selma the shop will be closed today. I really don't want to go to work today."

"What would you like for breakfast?"

The woman traced his collarbone with her forefinger. "Whatever you want." She was completely enjoying his warmth and pouted when he sat upright and threw his legs over the edge of the mattress.

"I'm going to make breakfast, I'll bring it up in a few."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth put on robe and was now standing in the kitchen, making breakfast while thinking about last night. The man leaned against the table, getting lost in thought. He had everything he had desired for so long. Being able to live in the Above, which he had wanted ever since he was a teenager, he had the love of his life, a great pet, which he earlier didn't even know he wanted to have, a job to make Sarah proud, no more all-nighters in his study to go through complaints, invitations, requests and god knows what more. Now he had far more interesting ways to spend his days.

He snapped out of his train of thoughts when the toaster was ready. He turned it off, filled a jug with orange juice and filled Jare's bowl with fresh water and the other one with dog food. The Goblin King stretched his arms and felt a flash of hurt flesh on his neck. He looked into a mirror hanging in the living room questioningly and smirked widely. A small bruise disgraced the flawless flesh of his neck. He looked with a frown to his short hair and ruffled through it, still not liking how short it was now. Jareth turned from the mirror and walked back to the kitchen. With fast movements he took two plates and took two glasses and put them on a tray.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

When Jareth entered he found Sarah relaxing with closed eyes, still on the bed and under the covers. He put the tray on the nightstand, pulled off the robe – which would be uncomfortable to sit down with – and slid back under the warm covers. "Breakfast is ready." He welcomed her in a low purr, kissing her softly. Sarah opened her eyes and smiled. They sat against the headboard, putting the pillows up.

They ate in peaceful silence and when they finished they started wondering what to do today. They had a few ideas, but Sarah was determined to go shopping for some more daily needs for Jareth.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah stepped out of the shower, looking over her shoulder. She blushed while taking a towel and drying off. It had been bizarre, she never thought she'd ever shower with someone else - let alone Jareht. She left swiftly to dress and went downstairs.  
  
The man joined her ten minutes later and she looked up from her coffee. "You really like that black turtleneck and jeans, don't you?" She smiled and he smirked in return. He joined her, sitting on the other side of the table. 

( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah and Jareth stepped out of the car, and headed to the shops nearby. They had left town and went to a city with a huge mall. Jareth had the new habit to pull Sarah closer every single time when someone looked at her, and with his sharp senses he could even feel them behind them. Sarah walked towards an underwear and lingerie shop. "Not beating around the bush, are you?"

Sarah nudged him. "I'm just trying to get you enough of all your basic needs alright?" She pushed him to the men's wear and pointed to the rows. "Alright I don't know which size you have or what kind of underwear you prefer so knock yourself out, I need some too so I'll see you in a few."

Jareth pretended to look for himself but as soon as she had disappeared in a dressing room he walked after her.

"That looks delicious, precious."

Sarah yelped and whirled around. "Jareth!"

"Sarah…" He purred and watched her cheeks colour.

She crossed her arms, raising one eyebrow. "Would you just be a good goblin and get yourself some underwear?"

"When I can have a view like this? Not likely." He grinned.

Sarah pointed to the rows sternly, a deep frown on her forehead. "Go look for yourself _now_ \- I'll be there in a few minutes and you'd _better have found something then!_"

The man grinned and left with a shrug.

A few minutes later Sarah went to Jareth whom was looking for underwear silently. She saw three girls that worked in the shop looking at him dreamily and Sarah frowned. "Did you get what you need?" She asked, taking his arm.

"I believe so."

"Good, let's go." 

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

It was _so_ much fun to shop with Jareth. They had bought more clothes, bathroom supplies and shoes. When they finished they headed back to the car and she leaned against the car while Jareth was putting everything in the trunk. "Do you like your new stuff?" The woman smirked as he threw the door closed and walked to her side of the car.

"Not the glitter and gold I'm used to, but I appreciate it very much, sweetheart." He bent forward, kissing her while trapping her in his arms.

Sarah smiled against his lips and pushed him back. "I'm against kissing in public." The woman looked at him, slowly tilting her head. "Do you miss home?" Sarah asked suddenly.

The man looked at her and thought back to his kingdom. "I miss some parts of it..."

Sarah could see the happiness on his face vanish and she instantly felt guilty for bringing it up. With a smile she looked up at him. "Let's go home..." 

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

They sat in silence for a long time when they got home. They were lounging on the couch, Jareth having his legs stretched out before him and Sarah laying across his lap. His fingers were lazily tracing random patterns in her hair and he looked down at her distant expression. "What are you thinking about, dearest?"

Sarah blinked her eyes a few times and then directed her face to him. "Well… What if I forgot to sing? I love the idea of singing again, it always gave me such exhilaration… I just don't know if I would be able to leave everything here. Poor Selma, little Jare, the shop…"

He looked down at her with a sigh. "You never leave something behind you truly love. And that you can't see them every day anymore, doesn't mean you can't call, write or visit. Jare will be sad if you leave, probably just like Selma, but that doesn't mean they will be left alone completely. You mustn't feel so forced to stay here when your heart reaches out to the stage. I know you left friends and family every afternoon to rehearse in the park in your white dress. Everyone stared at you and your friends frequently complained that you didn't go out with them. I don't see what the difference is this time." The man scooped her up in his arms and held her close. "I'll tell you what – if you just try this weekend. When you're there on the stage, singing your fierce heart out, and you'll still have the talent I suppose you had, you start a new carrier."

"But what about you?" She shifted lightly, biting her lip. "What will you do? You can't go back to the Labyrinth."

"I could stay here and wait for your call every evening."

Sarah looked down. "That's not the same, Jareth... I don't want to leave everything behind – I could sing here in pubs or something…"

"Don't cage yourself, Sarah. I know that you won't find your exhilaration in singing in mere _pubs_. If you love singing as much as I think you do, you can make it to the top… If you'll let yourself." He saw her getting more and more upset.

Tears were threatening to fall – Sarah felt so confused about what to do. She shook her head, trying to fight off the pressure that was building inside of her. Now more then every she felt the love for the people she had here. Great Selma, sweet Jare… and the love for Jareth she had earlier felt as a mere tickle now got twenty times stronger. Eventually, tears started gliding down her cheeks.

"Why is this so hard for you, Sarah? Don't you want your dreams? It's okay. I'll be waiting here for you."


	20. *Chapter 20

Sarah felt down when Ramon and Yessica came to pick the her up. Jareth would come too and if she had to be honest she felt miserable that he went along with them. If she would become excited without him she could just lie and he'd never know.

It took around two hours in the car of Yessica to get to the place they would perform. Ramon and Yessica were chatting a bit while Sarah was looking out of the window with worry blatantly on her face. Jareth had been distant from her, probably to not make things any harder.

If he hadn't spurred Yessica on to go, they wouldn't have left at all. When her friend saw her troubled face but Jareth told her it was nothing. Sarah knew that this wasn't meant to get rid of her, but to encourage her dream.

The woman suddenly punched his arm. The Goblin King jumped and looked at her, bent over and pressed a kiss on her cheek, one hand squeezing her leg once. She looked down, sighed and shoved over to him to snuggle against his side. His arm wrapped around her and his thumb stroked her shoulder soothingly.

If she would have to miss him for a long time she might as well enjoy the time she still had with him.

Sarah couldn't have missed the wide and happy smirk on Yessica's face when she spotted that the two were cuddled up together.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Yessica and Sarah had chosen for Sarah to sing 'the Only Exception' from Paramore, a pretty easy song to begin with. She was fiddling nervously when she was about to get on stage.

She met with her old band friends. Matt, their Welsh guitarist, a tall, black haired beauty but _way_ too arrogant for her. Pelle, a Dutch, thin drummer and smoker with white dyed hair and looking a little like Jareth.

It had been a surprise, though somehow she had guessed it, when she found out they were _brothers_. Pelle had left home some years ago, becoming mortal and loving the Above. It was strange to see how they embraced each other after a long time no see and they started catching up right away.

Sarah was about to go on stage where her friends were waiting on the dark stage when Jareth gripped her arm and pulled her close. His lips swept over hers and Sarah felt her heart jump. He let go of her lips and embraced her. "Good luck, sweetheart." She smiled weakly and quickly went onto stage.

The music started and Sarah licked her lips as the lights went on. In the audience were around fifty to eighty people. The music started and Sarah closed her eyes. Somewhere she really hoped it would go crappy.

"When I was younger  
I saw my daddy cry  
And curse at the wind  
He broke his own heart  
And I watched  
As he tried to reassemble it"

She frowned slightly at her shaking voice, she looked around the audience and to Yessica, whom was standing all the way in the back with Ramon. Sarah smiled as Yessica waved enthusiastically. 

"And my momma swore that  
She would never let herself forget  
And that was the day that I promised  
I'd never sing of love  
If it does not exist"

She looked at Jareth whom was now leaning against the stage in a dark corner. Sarah blushed, took one step closer to the microphone and held it with both hands.

"But darling,  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception"

The Goblin King gave her a happy wink while crossings his arms and his ankles. Sarah looked forward to the crowd which was listening intently.

"Maybe I know, somewhere deep in my soul  
That love never lasts  
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone  
Or keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this  
Keeping a comfortable distance  
And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness  
Because none of it was ever worth the risk

But you are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception"

Sarah felt her heart leap and the old feeling of excitement hit her again. She heard the rhythm speed up.

"I've got a tight grip on reality  
But I can't let go of what's in front of me here  
I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up  
Leave me with some kind of proof, it's not a dream

You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception

You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing  
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing…"

She smirked widely as the crowd cheered and she turned to her old friends whom gave her a thumbs up. Sarah sat down on the stage and hopped off, rushing to Jareth. He closed her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "I told you you'd do great."

Sarah rested with her hands on his chest, still smirking widely. She giggled and bent closer. "It felt so great!" The woman hugged him and yelped when Yessica pulled her back.

"You've still got it! I knew you would!" Yessica hugged her friend tightly and Jareth chuckled, seeing Ramon taking place next to him.

"She's good isn't she? Are you certain you won't come along with us? I could use some company other then my wife and her friend whom will be squealing every second they are not asleep or singing."

The Goblin King crossed his arms. "I'm quite positive. I'll miss Sarah dearly, I'll call her twice a day. I like the offer but have to refuse. I just got a job in the acting industry and I think my boss will be quite upset if I would quit the day before the recordings begin."

Ramon nodded. "I understand. You have to go to work tomorrow, am I right?" After a confirming nod Ramon pushed himself from the stage and pulled Yessica from the other woman. "Come on, darling, it's time to go. Jareth needs to get up early tomorrow."

"But we didn't even get the time to find someone that offers us a future for Sarah." Yessica complained as she tried to break out of Ramon's embrace.

"She'll be fine I'm sure."

They left after saying goodbye to the band, Ramon taking Yessica in tow and Jareth wrapping a possessive arm around Sarah's waist.

( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

While sitting in a car for two hours, Jareth had fallen asleep quite soon. Sarah was leaning against his chest, feeling his hard amulet under the turtleneck he was wearing.

Yessica looked around. "Hey Sar – you're doing it safe, right?"

The woman blushed and looked at her friend. "Sure. You know I take the pill, I've done ever since I got in high school."

"Just making sure, Sar. I don't want your on the stage pregnant at the very beginning of your carrier."

"Yeah yeah, I know." She murmured as she buried her head against his shoulder. In his sleep, Jareth wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head against hers.

Yessica rested her head on the back of the chair, Ramon looking at her a bit helplessly at her disinterest for the safety belt. "Do you think he's going to ask you to marry him?"

Sarah snorted. "Yeah right, Yess."

"Hm, I might." Jareth murmured sleepily, feeling Sarah's cheeks warm up.

Yessica grinned and reached for her pocket. She pulled out her cellphone and made a picture of them, Sarah groaning at the flash torturing their eyes. The woman looked at the picture she made and smiled. "Aww... Hey wait a second." Yessica narrowed her eyes at the picture. "What are those things at Jareth's eyes?"

Sarah took the cellphone from her and her eyes widened. On the picture she could see her and Jareth cuddled up together, but his goblin marks were visible. The woman frowned. "Crappy quality." She erased the pic from Yessica's cellphone and handed it back to her.

"It's still weird though – I've never seen that happen before. It used to work so well…" Yessica frowned, but then shrugged and looked at Ramon with a grin. "Honey, please look at the road instead of my ass."

Ramon pressed his lips together, looking forward like he had been doing it all time. "I wasn't looking at your buttocks, darling, I was merely keeping an eye on you – you know how much I hate it when you don't put on your seatbelt."

"Why would I put it on? Thousands of people survive without one."

"And you just might to be one outside of those thousands. Please Yess, I just want you to be safe." He took her hand as she sat back straight and squeezed it softly, flashing her a quick glance before directing himself back to the traffic.

"Yeah yeah, alright." Yessica chuckled and put on her seatbelt.


	21. *Chapter 21

Sarah's eyes teared up when she was getting ready for bed. A week or two ago she had her preformence, a week later Yessica called with the news that they had taken care of everything they needed and told her she would come to sweep Sarah off her feet Sunday afternoon.

The woman had already given the shop to Selma, had said goodbye to her with a lot of stutters and struggles. She got lost in thought about what was going to happen and change now while putting on her pyjama. 

Snapping out of her thoughts when Jareth entered the room her vision blurred. She sobbed, crossed the room with a quick run, calling his name once and threw her arms around him, starting to sob. The past days she had been able to sleep in his arms, with his warmth, now that she left had to leave everything she didn't know what to do. She had come to love the Goblin King and now that she could finally admit to her feelings she had to let go of them. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her against him, hearing her slurred words through her sobs. He shushed her quietly and pulled back to look at her. "Don't be upset with leaving me, Sarah. I will always wait here for you, you know I will. Take as long as you want – time won't touch me. Just promise me that you'll chase and catch your dreams, to keep faithful to me as I will be to you and that you'll call me every morning as I will call you every evening."

"Will we see each other as many times as possible?" Sarah asked in a shaken voice.

"Of course we will." He kissed away her tears and brushed her hair back. The Goblin King smiled. "If I didn't know better I'd say you're smitten with me." His try to cheer her up slightly made it even worse. Her lower lip quivered, her hands tensed and her entire body shook with sorrow. The man gathered her as close as possible and hugged her tightly. "Please don't weep, Sarah. Everything is going to be just fine! We'll hear each others voice twice every day, I'll watch over Jare so I can make sure he'll be fine and I'll visit you as many times as I can."

"You know that would only happen once every two months – if we're lucky."

Jareth kissed her softly and embraced her, rocking her slowly. "That may be true – but we'll able to make every second count." Sarah had calmed down and he put her in a sitting position on the bed. He gasped in surprise as he suddenly got pulled onto her and she rolled over.

"We might as well start now, then." She said, her voice still a bit shaken and she kissed him fiercely.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth woke up from the sound of Sarah sobbing very early in the morning. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. He shifted, leaning over her, and brushed the puffy skin around her eyes. "Sarah love, please don't do this to yourself."

She looked up at him with tired eyes, probably already awake for quite some time. "You seem so unaffected." Sarah whispered, her hands holding the edge of the sheet that rested on her collarbone.

"I'm not, precious. I really am not. I find this just as painful as you do." The man kissed her, rolled onto his side and pulled her close to him, stroking comfortingly over the back of her head.

"You don't look like it. I probably look like a living dead now, and you still look like… well… yourself."

"If a living dead truly looks like you do I'd rather prefer a life some meters under the ground. Sarah..." He sat upright and pulled her gently with him. He put her on his lap, one leg at each side. "I'm just trying to stay strong for you..."The woman kissed him and hugged him, feeling how he wrapped the sheet around her to keep her warm.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

For a few hours they had embraced each other, but it was twelve o'clock and Jareth had to get ready for work. He let go slowly of her now sleeping form and tucked her in. He went for a shower and after that he made himself some breakfast.

It was almost a quarter to one, he would be picked up in five minutes.

Jareth went upstairs to the place where Sarah was sleeping soundlessly. He kissed her lips softly, accidentally waking her up. She looked up at him silently and then raised to give him one last hug. "I'll call you tonight, Sarah. I truly hope you will enjoy every minute of your passion, don't make me regret allowing you to go. And you know I'll wait here for your return."

"I know. Good luck at work."

"Thank you." He let go of her, pressing a soft kiss on her temple. The Goblin King left the room, walking down stairs were the now familiar car stopped and honked.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

One week after another passed, Jareth and Sarah called every day as they promised. Jareth had no problem with living alone, taking care of Jare and Selma whom had yet to recover from her loss and was running the shop with effort. All the bills were easily paid and Jareth was even learning to ride a vehicle. Not because he could go wherever – but also because he wanted to live his life in the Above and make Sarah proud.

Sarah's carrier had a slow start, but the band was rising slowly in the hotlist. The first weeks she had just sung covers – but after five months she had started writing her own. Matt had decided to start lusting after her ever since the first day they had really started again. Pelle helped her keeping him away from her – sometimes needing to threaten with his drumsticks to shove it up his peephole – which would have Yessica and Sarah laughing at Matt's paling face.

It had been almost a year after Sarah had seen Jareth and she found herself staring at her phone every night, waiting eagerly for his call. He would chuckle when she would pick up one second after her phone rang and would always take as long as he could to keep both of them from hanging up.

The woman was sitting on her hotel bed, still staring to the phone as she thought back to their call yesterday.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

_"What do you mean 'Jare broke your expensive vase'? How the hell did he do that? That vase is standing on a massive closet that wouldn't even budge for a rhino!"_

_"I'm just telling you so you won't get upset when you get back." He said with amusement. "I mean to be a good goblin slave." The Goblin King said jokingly, using the nickname they had been using every time Sarah asked him to do something._

_"You're a bad influence." Sarah stated. She smiled as she heard Jare barking in the background. Jareth shushed him and groaned, probably stretching his lazy muscles. "Still barely getting rest?"_

_"I'll be fine. So did you already finish your next song?"_

_"Yeah, this afternoon. How is Selma doing?"_

_"She's still looking like she is about to faint any second, she barely sleeps and hides as much from the world as possible. I take her out for dinner from time to time, and she often comes to visit to walk on the beach with Jare and myself."_

_"Hm, I'm losing my slave to my best friend." The woman said sleepily while rolling over and sighing._

_"Oh you wish – I stick to you no matter what, whether you like it or not." He smirked and his voice drawled. "So what are you wearing?"_

_Sarah grinned and shook her head silently. "Granny's bra and granny's underpants, a bright yellow sweatpants, a bright green pullover and bright pink socks."_

_"Sexy…" Jareth snorted._

_"You know I don't play this game."_

_"It was worth a try. Don't make me go to you to check what you're wearing."_

_"I don't believe in empty threats."_

_"Hm, I'll see you in five minutes." The man said with a wicked grin reflecting in his timbre._

_"Sure I'll put the kettle on." She rolled her eyes. "You'd better come some time, though."_

_"Can you see me driving a car?"_

_"No…"_

_"I thought you wouldn't." Jareth chuckled. He sighed softly as he heard her yawn. "Go to bed precious – you don't want to miss our next appointment, would you?"_

_"It's just three o'clock – we might as well rant on to the next appointment."_

_Jareth took a sip from the water on his night stand. "Go to sleep, darling. I have to leave tomorrow at seven so make sure you called before that. I'll be able to talk to you around nine or later."_

_"N-okay – see you in a few hours."_

_"Sleep well, sweetheart."_

_"You too."_

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah looked to the clock – it was a half past nine. Her stomach growled and she took her phone, raising and pulling on her shoes. She left the hotel, heading for a snack bar down the street where Yess, Leah and Ramon would be eating.

She was only three meters away from the door of the snack bar when suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck raised. Someone bumped into her as she suddenly halted, her eyes searching the crowd for what had pulled her attention. Nothing was to be seen.

The woman shook her head and entered the quiet snack bar. She went to her friends in the back of the place, taking off her coat and sitting down with an annoyed groan.

"Jareth hasn't called, huh?" Yess asked while feeding Leah the baby food she had brought along.

"Whatever makes you think so?"

"You wouldn't be here if he called – you'd have continued to prattle about whatever seems just the tiniest bit interesting until three in the morning."

"You describe me like I've gone mad." Sarah accused with one raised eyebrow.

"Love _is_ mad." She said in the matter of factly. "That's probably be what makes it so out of the ordinary." Ramon chuckled as Yess stuffed the baby food back into Leah's mouth, whom kept pushing it out with her small tongue. "Rame! You do it, then!" Ramon shrugged, took Leah and fed her, sometimes narrowing his eyes as Leah threatened to do the same to him. "Look Sarah, we won't be getting closer to your home as we are now – which is around seven hours driving. You refused to visit him so I don't understand why you would be so obsessed by his call."

"I really _want_ to see him again! I just couldn't, I have yet to finish two songs and only one week to do it – we have three performances tomorrow and I don't want to have to work all night on it. If I had gone to Jareth this morning he would be at work – and as he would get home I'd have to go back to make sure I'm not late for the performance tomorrow!"

Yess sighed, her head dropping to the table and Leah patting it with a laugh. Ramon pulled Leah on his lap and rested a hand on Yessica's lower back.

Sarah looked outside as she saw rain starting to trickle down the windows and she got lost in thought.

Sarah snapped out of her train of thoughts after a few minutes and raised, heading for the counter to finally actually order something. Yessica made a low whistle. "Leather motor cad coming up." Sarah looked out of the window and saw that indeed a black motor parked. On the motor's side stuck red letters and Sarah felt something flutter in her chest as she read 'Goblin King.'

"No. Fucking. Way." Sarah said breathlessly.

Several woman halted on the sidewalk, seeming to instantly forget the pouring rain as they saw the tall man stepping off the motor. Sarah was already heading for the door every so slightly, unconscious.

The tall man was thin, well built legs clad in a leather pants and leather boots, a fine torso clad with a black, leather aristocratic vest. He pulled off his helmet, unveiling a tout face with thin lips, a long nose and mismatched eyes. The man ruffled through his short blonde hair while drops of rain poured down his body. The whole scene looked like a commercial for some sort of shampoo, or fragrance… Probably condoms.

Sarah cried out happily, running through the rest of the snack bar, throwing open the door – entering the pouring rain – and throwing her arms around the man that had just bumped his helmet on the steer of his motor. "Jareth!" The woman cried out as she hugged him tightly.

The girls which had stopped voiced their displeasure and quickly walked away.

Jareth pulled back with a smirk, she locked her arms around his neck, pulling herself as close as possible and kissing him joyously. Sarah felt like she had just won the lottery, or like she just heard there would be no worries left in her life…

But hell, this was so much better.

She kissed his face all over before hugging him tightly, nearly stopping his circulation. "Sorry I didn't call you." He said with a chuckle and she answered by yanking him down and kissing him again.

Sarah could have done this forever, but Jareth pulled back slowly. "Maybe we should go inside – I don't want you to catch anything." He guided her back into the snack bar where he had seen her jumping out from.

"Jareth – looking good!" Yess called with a smile and a wave.

"As always." The man said with a broad grin. Leah called out to him, surprisingly knowing his name. The Goblin King walked over to her and ruffled through her hair.

"Hold on tight, Jareth – Sarah's probably going to peel that leather off of you within half an hour." Yessica said and saw Sarah becoming bright red. Sarah narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "So since when do you drive a _motor_?"

The man raised, Leah reaching out to him again. "Since three days ago when I got my licence. What would you think I'd do with a three days off every week?"

"Sarah has been telling me about Selma and you." Yessica said mockingly.

Jareth pulled Sarah, whom had actually headed for her chair, to his chest and held her close. "Yes – apperantly she hasn't been talking about my possesiveness." He said with amusement.

"I think we see now." The woman stated, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yessica!" Sarah yelped angerly. "Stop it!"  
  
"Yes, back off." Jareth said tartly with a chuckle while pulling Sarah even closer. The woman took her coat, putting it on and heading for the door.

"Keep the noise down." Yess challenged.

Sarah stopped, taking a second to inhale deeply. After that she left and went with Jareth back to her room. She pulled off her coat and saw how he removed the leather jacket, revealing the black turtleneck. Sarah hugged him again, nuzzling against him and greedily inhaling his spicy scent. "I missed you so much." She whispered, her voice breaking slightly.

"I missed you too, precious." He moved slightly, sighing. "Eight hours on a motor makes a man sore."

Sarah giggled and pulled him along. "Well being a star has it advantages." She said as she pointed to a large bathtub in the bathroom.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah had planned a few things in her agenda for today. Practise singing a bit more, finishing one of her songs, get to the mall to get a new coat…

Bathing with Jareth certainly wasn't one of them. Removing the black leather pants had been quite a challenge. It had almost seemed like it had melted to his skin when seeing how much it hugged his long legs and narrow hips. They had even quoted – using phrases like 'it's not fair', 'such a pity' and 'I only have thirteen hours, it's harder then you think.'

It had been some the most ridiculous, frustrating and awkward moment since… ever, really.

After bathing in the hot water, just staring at each other and making comments every now and then, for what had seemed to be an hour or more, Jareth lifted himself out of the water, Sarah coming with him. He took one big towel, wrapping it around her middle and lifting it until her armpits. He pulled her close by the edges of the towel and kissed her. She kissed him back eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck and stepping closer.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth cuddled up close to the exhausted woman next to him. "Who's idea was it again to try to break the record?" Sarah sighed.

"Yours." The Goblin King said with a grin, feeling her blush. He buried his nose in her hair.

Sarah turned to him, looking into his eyes sadly. "You'll have to leave soon again, don't you?"

"Why? You'd rather get rid of me?" He smiled down at her.

She jumped up, looking at him with eyes wide. "You can – you don't – you…" When Jareth smirked widely and Sarah shrieked happily, throwing up her arms and around him. He laughed when their stomachs groaned in unison. "Didn't eat yet?"

"No – and neither did you." He stated, amused. Jareth sat up straight, Sarah on his lap, he looked down at her, taking in every inch. She blushed and waited for him to say anything. "So which places are still open at…" Jareth looked at the clock. "Two o'clock in the middle of the night?" Sarah laughed and removed herself from his lap, raising to gather her clothes. 


	22. *Chapter 22

Sarah and Jareth were walking down the street, heading for where Sarah needed to perform today. Some people came to her to ask her autograph and she got many appreciating glances from men now that she was walking in her unusual clothing she would perform in. A black leather pants, thigh high punk boots, a dark red shirt that looked like it was ripped apart, with a black short top underneath it to cover up some places and over that she wore her long dark brown coat.

Jareth had been surprisingly quiet and not possessive – or cocky, since every girl looked longingly at him. He was staring down the pavement blindly, a mixture of disappointment and confusion on his face. He wore his black turtleneck, no jacket, his leather pants and boots since he didn't take anything with him. His hands were clasped behind his back, which he held straight, his chest slightly puffed and his movements graceful. It gave him a kingly air he had been hiding so far.

"Jareth what's wrong?" She asked a bit worried, then she spoke teasingly. "There have been dozens of men looking at me and you didn't even look at them." She jumped as he suddenly raised his hands, turning left, to the wall and he pushed them on both sides of her shoulders. Sarah jumped at his sudden movement, pushing herself against the wall and looking at his sudden angry face. He looked down at her, eyes directed to her stomach. He pushed one hand against it, pushing her slightly harder into the wall. "Jareth, what are you doing?"

The Goblin King's stormy eyes lifted to hers, his lips slightly curled back in a soundless growl. "It has been a few months, yes?"

"Y-yes?"

"You were having your ovulation, yes?"

"What?" Sarah asking in confusion.

He leaned closer, watching her green eyes which were widened in confusion and slight fear. "Your period had ended two weeks before, _did it not?_"

"Before what?"

"Sarah!" The man hissed, annoyed.

"What?!" She snapped. "Why are you so pissed all of sudden? What are you trying to say?!"

"You're not swollen." He accused, his fingers digging in her stomach.

"Well, thank you!" Sarah said sarcastically.

"Why are you not?" Jareth hissed through clenched teeth. Sarah frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Thirteen months should it take!" The man hissed more to himself then to her. "You are not infertile, are you?"

Suddenly Sarah knew what was going on. "What?" She whispered. "What?!" She cried out then. The woman pushed him away, her hands clenching into fists, anger boiling in her veins. "So that was why! You lied to my when you said you couldn't make me pregnant, didn't you?" He didn't answer. "Didn't you?!" She pressed. "You sick, unbelievable son of a bitch!" Sarah swung back her hand in an adrenaline rush and hit him hard across the cheeks with a flat hand, a loud whack echoing in the air.

"I hate you!" Sarah yelled at the man in front of her and she leaped forward to get rid of her anger.

However, two arms wrapped around both her upper arms, holding her in place. She struggled and looked at Jareth whom was looking her slightly surprised or even _shocked_. After a few more angry pants Sarah was freed of the hold and looked at the cop behind her. "Ma'am, what's the cause of this? Is he bothering you? Would you like us to take him with us?"

The woman took her time to calm down, not once looking at Jareth for she thought he didn't deserve it. "We're just having a fight, sir. I know him, he just made the biggest mistake in his life is all."

The cop looked at the man. He seemed not to fit in somehow, his face had sharp features, strange eyes, wild hair and a build that slightly unsettled the policeman. "Has he threatened or abused you?"

Sarah thought about that. In fact he had, but the threat had been many years ago, but she did feel awfully abused. "It's alright. I'll leave now, sir, I have a performance in a few minutes. Thank you for your concern." She smiled an empty smile to him and left.

The policeman turned to Jareth whom was still looking angry and frustrated, but also a bit broken. "Alright sir, come along. We are going to have a little chat at the police station." He walked to his police car on the side of the road and opened the backseat door. He watched the strange man glower at him and he felt a slight twitch of fear in his system – something he only had once before, when some criminal held a gun to the back of his head. "Please step in sir, I don't want to force you into it." Jareth growled, sounding like an angry wolf, but stepped in.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah walked over the pavement, tears running down her cheeks. There had been no fans anymore and men kept looking forward respectably. She couldn't believe Jareth would do something like this – he had been so caring ever since she told him he could stay with her. He had shown her many great things, had danced with her and made love to her. Somewhere in the back of her mind a word popped up. _Loverboy_. He did have such an air around him, he flirted with every woman, he dressed as provoking as possible and liked to give presents. Another fact, he was a villain, right? A villain possessing very much power, land and subjects – which were known as evil mischievous creatures. And he had no heir. Suddenly Sarah remembered the man visiting in the cabin at their vacation. He had not introduced her to him or had spoken a single word about what they had been talking about. Perhaps his father had been in this too, maybe the whole task was about this.

How she could be so stupid?

Sarah had been lonely, had secretly been waiting for his return, of course she wouldn't think about the fact that behind the kind man may be an evil Fae that just wanted to take from her what would be most precious to her.

_Revenge._

The word seemed to echo in her head. She had bested him, thrown words in his face, destroyed his kingdom, made his subjects conspire against him and broke his heart. Of course he wanted revenge. There wouldn't have been a single reason why he should be nice to her after all she had done.

Well, _one_ reason. Obviously.

Sarah felt herself starting to cry harder and to make it all worse it started pouring. A nice man offered her to take his umbrella but she was too distant to even notice him. "Do you want it?" When she heard him, hearing his English accent she cried even harder and ran away. The man looked after her, feeling sorry for the woman that looked so broken.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth was sitting in an uncomfortable chair at the police station, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table he was leaning on with his other arm which held his head. The officer on the other side of the table was typing some things on the computer positioned on the left of the desk. Jareth's new made passport was lying near the keyboard.

"Well let's take a look at you, shall we?" The officer first picked up his passport. "Jareth Jackson Mason Clarke, _that's quite a mouth full,_ length 5'10, date of birth the second of August, 1984… _You don't really look like twenty six._" The officer remarked but quickly lowered his eyes to the passport when he saw the man narrowing his eyes. "Born in Brixton, London in England…" He started to mumble the other things reading on further on the computer after finishing the passport. "No criminal record, no registration of any other offense. I see you never even got a ticket or a warning." He slammed his middle finger on the enter loudly. The officer had probably wanted to make him jump but to his dismay Jareth was completely calm. "Can you tell me…" He looked down to his passport once, probably having forgotten his name. "…Jareth Jackson Mason Clarke, if my colleague was right? He told me you had assaulted a woman known as Sarah Williams?"

The Goblin King brushed his pants calmly even though no dirt or dust rested on it, the cuffs which were completely unnecessary and a worthless try to restrain him should he try anything. "No, this is not true."

"Can you tell me what happened, then?"

"I have known Sarah for ten years or so, why would I try to hurt her?"

"Please answer my question, sir."

"I think it was pretty obvious what happened. We just had a fight."

The police officer twirled a pen between his thumb and forefinger to keep his hand busy. "Let's try it this way. How did you two meet?"

Jareth tried to make up something quickly, trying to keep as close to the truth as possible but making sure every thing sounded sane. "We met at her house at a party." It wasn't all al lie. They _had_ met in her house and her father and stepmother had gone off to a party.

"I see – and if I'm not mistaken you were sixteen then. Have you ever had a relationship with her?" The officer asked as he wrote down the information.

"I'm in the middle of a relationship with her now." What Sarah found out would probably be the end of their relationship.

The police officer looked up after writing it down. "Alright, pardon me asking this of you, but have you ever pressed her to get more intimate with you? Ever kissed or touched her against her will?"

"I fail to realise why this would be anything of your concern, but no. You must know I am a honourable man, I allow myself to speak to a woman when she accepts me to do so, I allow myself to kiss her when she invites me in and I allow myself to touch her _after_ I know for _sure_ I won't offend her and _only_ mate with her when I will know for _sure_ that she loves me and accepts me to court her." Jareth said forcefully, seeing the man becoming slightly nervous the thickennig air.

The officer nodded quietly, clenching his pen between his fingers. "Honourable indeed, mr. Mason Clarke, thank you for answering my questions. May I ask what the fight was about?"

Jareth smelled the man's fear and allowed the pressure in the room to rest, realising the man in front of him was merely doing his job. "A few months ago I shared a bed with Miss Willaims for the first time, shortly after that she left, I hadn't seen her for many, long months. When I decided a few days ago to visit her again I was very excited, of course. However, when I arrived I saw her figure was still the same, small, thin and brisk as ever. I was very disappointed she was not carrying my child like I expected. My frustration and disappointment swelled and the leash on it snapped this morning, which caused me to let my normally strong self-control to falter. Sarah wasn't expecting to get pregnant at all, and thought I only made love to her because I wanted a child."

"And this is not true?"

"Of course not!" Jareth hissed, irritated. "I already informed you that I am a honourable man and I will _not_ impregnate a woman if she does not love me and I do not love her." He looked down with a frown. "Actually I don't want to impregnate a woman I'm not married with at all, but I truly love my Sarah and just want to produce something that will be a creation of just me and the woman I love."

The officer saw he truly meant it and he sighed softly. "Alright then." He raised, as did Jareth. The man walked to the other and pulled keys out of his pocket. "Thank you for your time and I'm sorry about the questions, but it's routine." He unlocked the cuffs the man had been wearing and threw them on the desk. The police officer gathered Jareth's papers and handed it back to him. "Can I offer you a ride back to the place we picked you up?"

"No." Jareth refused with a sigh. "But could you give me the directions to the Festival for Errant Artists?"

"Ah she is a starting a starting artist, eh?" The man went to his computer, ticking down some information and printing it. "Here you go." He handed him a small printed map with a red line leading towards it. "Thank you for your time." The officer walked with the man to the door and held it open for him. Jareth stepped out and saw the man making a salute with two fingers before going back in.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

"Why did you want to change the planning again, Sarah?" Pelle asked a bit confused as he looked to the old list of songs they had been doing when they had just started. "There are just covers – weren't you able to write another?"

"I just wanted it, okay? Please just do this for me, I feel like crap." Sarah sighed as she applied her make-up again after crying it off.

She felt Pelle wrapping his arms around her waist and pull her against his chest with her back. Sarah gently held his hand and he let go. "You know where to find me when you need a shoulder to cry on, right Sarah?"

"Thanks Pelle, but I just finished my make-up again, maybe later." Sarah smiled as she put away her make-up and smiled at the young man.

"Sarah, we're going on stage in three minutes!" Yessica called and bounced off again.

The woman sighed and looked herself over one. "Alright, just forget about Jareth for a while, let's do this, you can do it." She spoke comfortingly to herself. "Right. Are you coming Pelle?"

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah had said goodbye to her friends after performing, saying she just wanted to go to the hotel instead of going to the pub. She pulled her hood up to cover herself from the rain and softly sang the song she had first sung that night.

"Sparkling angel I believe  
You were my savior in my time of need.  
Blinded by faith I couldn't hear  
All the whispers, the warnings so clear."

She saw a man standing at the far end of a small street, the form leaning against the wall and a chill went up her spine. Pretending to not have noticed him, since it was clearly a man, she just kept singing, the form coming closer with every step she took.

"I see the angels,  
I'll lead them to your door.  
There's no escape now,  
No mercy no more."

She became a bit fearful when she saw him pushing himself off of the wall and she sang the last line of the first part.

"No remorse cause I still remember…"

The figure lifted his head, his features sliding out of the dark shadows. Her heart jumped as she saw that it was a thoroughly soaked Goblin King. She gasped and took one step back. He lifted one dripping hand and rested it against her cheek, the corners of his mouth lifting up slightly. The song went on in her head.

_"The smile when you tore me apart._  
You took my heart,  
Deceived me right from the start.  
You showed me dreams,  
I wished they'd turn into real."

She felt his hand tremble and burn on her skin, it was only then that she noticed how much he was shivering.

_"You broke a promise and made me realize.  
It was all just a lie."_

He looked deep into her eyes, pleading her to forgive him.

_"Sparkling angel, I couldn't see_  
Your dark intentions, your feelings for me.  
Fallen angel, tell me why?  
What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?  
I see the angels,  
I'll lead them to your door  
There's no escape now  
No mercy no more  
No remorse cause I still remember

_The smile when you tore me apart_  
You took my heart,  
Deceived me right from the start.  
You showed me dreams,  
I wished they'd turn into real.  
You broke a promise and made me realize.  
It was all just a lie.  
Could have been forever.  
Now we have reached the end.

_This world may have failed you,_  
It doesn't give you reason why.  
You could have chosen a different path in life.

_The smile when you tore me apart._  
You took my heart,  
Deceived me right from the start.  
You showed me dreams,  
I wished they'd turn into real.  
You broke a promise and made me realize.  
It was all just a lie."

Sarah felt her heart sting when she thought that he had just been using her. The very last part rang through her head, rain dripping off her form but keeping her face and hair dry. Jareth was standing in front of her, his face void of energy and his eyes dull with what probably would be a fever.

_"Could have been forever.  
Now we have reached the end."_


	23. *Chapter 23

Sarah sighed deeply as she looked at Jareth standing there in the rain, she took one step back, his hand falling from her cheek. "Why did you do this?" She asked as her eyes dropped to the floor, it was silent far a few seconds and she looked back up at him. "Why did you use me?" 

Jareth cringed at her choice of words and he looked down, his eyes flashed with vulnerability. "I never wanted to use you… and I still don't want to." His eyes lifted to hers. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Sarah. You've got to understand my position."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Your position? Jareth, how can I believe anything you say? Your position had been the dominant asshole all along – the only time you had to admit to someone else it was when I wanted to cut your hair!"

The Goblin King trapped her against the wall, ignoring that he has shivering with fever. "Why do you think I'd allow you to? Because you said I had no choice in the matter? Because I had to fit in? Look at me, Sarah!" He pointed to his slanted eyebrows, mismatched eyes and the tips of his eyes that reached up. "I'll never fit in! The hair wouldn't have made anything different!" He stepped closer to her, partly to stable himself more against the wall and partly to keep her attention. "I had come to _you_ over a year ago because you were my only hope, I lived by your rules to earn my keep, I cooked for you to to earn your thrust and I took care for your dog and for you because I care about you! I had been submissive to your every need, request and command because I love you! And you dare to deny that I have been a dominant asshole?"

Sarah found it very strange to hear that word leaving his lips and she bit her lip. He was right and she knew it – he had been a leader his entire existence and changed himself completely to fit her rules and needs. It was a king asking for shelter – something that went completely against his nature. Something else kept echoing through her head. _'I had been submissive to your every need, request and command because I love you!'_ The woman looked up at him, struggling to think what to do. She saw him trembling when she looked down and his eyes were dull. Sarah lifted her hand to his cheek and felt his skin burning into hers. "Why have you been waiting here? Why didn't you go to the hotel, or went inside?"

"The guard at the door wouldn't let me in and…" He looked down slowly, then back up at her. "And I didn't know the directions to the hotel."

The woman sighed, looking into his eyes. Slowly she stepped forward, hugging him. "You're so silly, you could just have told to guard you knew me, or you could ask him where the hotel was. Come on, we're going to get you a bath and then in bed."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth had been faint and warring as soon as they entered the warm hotel lobby. After ten minutes of struggling Sarah had finally gotten him into the hotel room. When she was filling the bath in the middle-sized bathroom he had been uneasy and wiping his forehead all along. His skin looked like porcelain with some kind of golden hue. Sarah looked at him resting his head against the window, trying to cool his burning face. "You look awful." Sarah stated. "Come let's get you in the tub." She walked over to him, dragging him from the window and pushing him in the bathroom. He stepped back as he saw the steam rising up from the water and shook his head.

"The last thing I want now is warmth."

"Don't go standing in the pouring rain if you don't want to get ill." She unzipped his boots and yanked one leg up, pulling them off. She put it back down and tried to lift the other leg. She sighed and looked up at him. "Jareth, you can do it yourself, you can let me help you or I'll just push you in with all your clothes on. Make your choice, you have five seconds." He looked down at her and crossed his arms stubbornly. The woman sighed. "Fine I'll try to do it – if you keep acting like a child I'll just have to treat you like one." Sarah pulled up his leg violently and pulled off his boot. Jareth nearly fell but could stable himself just in time. She lifted herself and pulled off his turtleneck, Jareth actually helping for a second. She looked at his chest which was as white as snow and shook her head with a sigh, the blush that always crept up her cheeks when she saw his naked chest resurfacing again. Sarah looked down and sighed at his leather pants. "Just perfect. Another struggle. Maybe we can break our record of half an hour." She undid the button and the zipper, feeling her face flush. When she put her thumbs on both sides of his hips inside the pants she didn't even dare to look up his face. The woman just wanted to start pushing when it suddenly vanished. She blinked in surprise and looked up at Jareth. He was blinking owlishly. "Couldn't you have done that earlier?!"

"I didn't do anything, darling."

"Yeah right."

"No, I'm serious, I really didn't do that."

"Oh I guess it was the tooth fairy then." Sarah said with narrowed eyes.

The man frowned, but smiled again. "Not this time it wasn't. This magic was different from hers." Sarah looked at him, shocked but he shrugged and looked away. "It was a couple of centuries ago, I swear."

Sarah sighed and pulled off his underwear, her face becoming bright red again. She quickly led him to the bath and was relieved when most of his body went hidden behind the foam lying on top of the water. Jareth shifted uncomfortably a few times, still wanting to get away from the heat. The woman could understand his discomfort, she always felt the same way when dealing with a fever. "It's really for the best, Jareth. You'll get well much sooner. Come on, lean forward a bit." Sarah pulled off her shoes, socks and pants and took place behind him. When he leant forward she took a cloth, pulling it down the warm water and washed him with it. His unusual tattoo hurt when she touched it, she wouldn't be surprised if its temperature passed the fifty degrees celcius. The shine of it had completely vanished but otherwise it had stayed the same. She told him to move forward and lean back. Crossing her ankles behind his back, where he could rest his head on. She combed back his hair with her fingers, not seeing how he was looking at her. "You're still shivering – I hope that fever will wear off soon." She looked him in the eyes, seeing him looking at her intently.

"I really am sorry, Sarah, I really didn't mean to hurt you."

Sarah sighed and traced his cheek with her hand once. "I know, Jareth. Don't worry about it, we'll talk about it later."

"Can I have a kiss?"

She looked at him, stunned. He had never asked before – he always just took it. "I think that wouldn't be such a good idea, I don't want to get sick as well." When she saw his disappointed face she rolled her eyes and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He took her hand which had been combing back his hair and locked their eyes, making her unable to look away.

"Will you ever forgive me Sarah?" 

Sarah swallowed and managed to break eye contact, focusing back on his hair. "I already told you Jareth, we'll talk about this when you get better. I prefer the cocky Goblin King over the ill, easy and emotional Jareth."

"I'm not emotional." He defended himself.

"Yes, you are."

Then he shifted uncomfortably, sighing. "Bloody hell."

Sarah laughed and jumped when she suddenly felt one of Jareth's hands trace up her thigh. "Hey! Keep your hands to yourself!" He grinned wickedly, taking the hand that was close to his ear, and traced it down his neck and chest. Sarah pulled back quickly and splashed some water into his face. "Cut it out, Goblin King! Now hurry up because I have more things to do today." He didn't remove his hand from her thigh and traced his fingertips towards her knee, watching closely like he was trying to burn it in his memory. "I didn't mean hurry up touching me – now come on." She reached down his back to pull him up but when she touched his skin she pulled back as fast as she could. "Ow! What's up with your tattoo?" She scowled at her burnt fingertips.

He looked at her fingertips and touched them lightly. "It heals very fast, look." He slowly removed his fingers from hers and the purple skin was gone.

"Okay that's a kind of cool but it's still freaky your tattoo can burn me."

"I believe it serves to protect me from harm when I'm vulnerable." He looked down at the still steaming water. "And I think I've been in here long enough." Suddenly he raised, throwing Sarah off guard. A blush crept high up her cheeks and she quickly raised and went to fetch a towel to dry her lower legs. He dried himself and wrapped his arms around her from her back. Her face became bright red as she noticed he was still naked and he pressed a kiss on her cheek, asking her if she could forgive him. He was surprised when she pushed him back and walked back into the living room. "Jareth if you think I'm going to forgive you when you try to convince me by standing naked behind then you have another thing coming." She seemed offended.

"Sarah it isn't like that – I just want to get this fight over with." He clothed himself in his black tights and turtleneck.

Sarah turned to him after pulling on some hideous sweatpants. "I want to get this off the table as well – but I'm not going to rush it. This is important."

"I don't want to keep hanging around with this problem for weeks – don't you understand?"

"What I don't understand is that you think that this is no big deal! You used and lied to me and you think I can just forget that whenever you want to? I don't know what the hell you're doing but _I_ need to talk about this! You can't just solve it by just saying you're sorry."

"You want to talk about this? Then talk!"

"Alright." Sarah snapped at him. "First you suddenly appear in my shop, being all mysterious about why you're there, then I take you in even though I barely know anything about you or the reason you were in this world." She started pacing wildly, waving with her arms in frustration. "I trusted you, I believed you – I even took you with me on a holiday while barely knowing you. Your father visited without me knowing anything about it, you don't even introduce me or tell me what you were talking about. You're being a sneaky suck-up, halfway your time to reign." Her eyes started to tear up and she stopped, looking at him while standing just a meter away from him, her voice breaking. "What the hell were you thinking? How could lie to me?"

He stepped towards her, reaching out to her face. "Sarah I didn't mean to -"

"Oh you didn't?!" She slapped his hand away. "You know what?" The woman said suddenly very calm. "I don't even want to talk to you anymore. I don't even want to _look_ at you." Sarah stormed towards the bathroom, slamming the door.

Jareth sighed, a tremble of fever shooting through his spine. He thought of what Sarah had said earlier. Sweat it out. He lay down on the bed in the bedroom after gathering some more sheets and tried to calm himself. His attempt was completely shaken and torn apart when he heard soft sobs in the room besides him. The fact that he had made her cry made him want to kick himself. He had terribly messed up the time he could spend with her – he hadn't even got the time to give her his present. With all the power he had left he reached to the land beyond the Portal, trying to reach one of his subject. One drop of sweat rolled down his temple. 

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her arms wrapped around her waist and her head hanging. She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice another presence in the room. She jumped, nearly gliding into the bathtub when a deep, low voice spoke to her. "Sawah sad!" Her eyes widened.

She let out a happy sob. "Ludo!" The woman jumped up and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could. Ludo was very careful not to strangle her in his strong arms. "Oh Ludo I missed you so!"

"Sawah sad."

"Oh Ludo, don't worry, Jareth just did some mean things." She buried herself in his fur and jumped when he flopped down onto the ground. He didn't say anything but just held her as she tried to calm herself. "Ludo, how did you get here?"

"King summoned Ludo." He boomed. The woman looked up at the beast whom smiled down to her. "No worry Sawah, Ludo here."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah sighed as she excited the bathroom when Ludo had left. She tiptoed through the hotel rooms in case he was awake. When she found him she instantly stopped, her eyes widening, her heart skipping a beat and her lips parting.


	24. *Chapter 24

Sarah looked at Jareth, lying underneath the sheets. He was shivering, pale, his hair nearly white and his lips a sickening shade of blue. She rushed to him, nearly tripping over her own feet. If he hadn't been shivering and she hadn't felt the racing of his heart she'd have thought he was dead. As she lifted his head gently it hung back limply, his upper lip pulling over his teeth, showing the intense pain he surely felt. She put him back down quickly but carefully and touched his burning cheek. Guilt washed over her like a huge blanket, suffocating her. If she wouldn't have stormed off in frustration and pain he wouldn't have gotten this violently ill. The woman tucked him in closely, seeking her memory for something she could do.

Like the little girl she sometimes still was, she ran to her phone, dialling a number to a doctor that was always there for her. It took ten seconds, which seemed decades. Finally said doctor answered and she heard waltz music on the background. "Robert Williams."

"Daddy!" Sarah sobbed.

"Princess? What's going on?"

"It's Jareth, daddy."

"Did he hurt you?" The protectiveness and anger crystal clear in his voice.

"N-no – well yeah but it's just a little fight… But dad he's sick and I really don't know what to do!" Her voice became even more upset, on the edge of hyperventilating.

"Shush, princess. Easy, it's going to be alright. What are his symptoms?"

"W-well… He's shivering, really pale, his lips have a blue-ish stone and even his hair lost most of its colour. I think it's a fever, but I'm sure it's not an ordinary one… Can you please help me, dad?"

It was silent for a second then he sighed softly. "Or course I can princess – but this sounds pretty serious so I'll have to come over. Where are you now?"

"I'm in New York, the Marcel At Gramercy."

"Alright – I'll go as fast as I can, meanwhile you need to keep him warm and wash off any sweat. I'll be there in three to four hours. Hang on sweetie, I'm on my way."

"Thanks daddy, I'll see you then." She hang up and went to the bathroom to get a cloth. She soaked it, wrung it out and went back to Jareth to wash off the sweat on his forehead. His whole body was shining with fever and she kept cleaning it just to keep her hands busy while her father was on his way.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Four hours later Sarah got upset, her father had yet to arrive and Jareth's illness got worse by the hour. He had not gained consciousness in all those hours and Sarah was afraid if Jareth's heart would keep racing like that he would get a heart attack. Just as she snatched her phone from the nightstand there was a knock on the door. The woman let out a relieved cry and ran to the door. She swung it open and couldn't be happier to see her father again.

He wore a beautiful suit which was obviously for the party she had heard on the background. He embraced her tightly. "We have checked in into this hotel in case it would take long. How is he doing?"

"He got worse." Sarah buried her face in his shoulder. "It's my fault daddy, we had a fight and I left. I could have avoided this if I hadn't been so selfish."

Robert let go of her and pressed a kiss on her temple. "Nonsense, sweetie. Come on, let's go see him." He took the suitcase at his side and walked in. Since he had a hotel room which was furnished the very same way he knew where to go and he quickly went to the sick Fae. He squatted on the side of the bed and opened his suitcase and got out what he needed. He listened to his heart rate and frowned. "Has his heart been this sped up all the time?"

"Yes, it has been like this for over four hours."

"Then we have to calm him down fast." He numbed his muscles with an injection, then he took in his temperature and his eyes widened. "This is not possible – his temperature is way too high, he shouldn't even be alive right now." After that he quickly went to work. Sarah assisted him as much as possible but most things made her unable to. She held Jareth's hand tightly, feeling his racing heart even in his fingertips. After two hours of working Robert sighed and leant back. "I can't do more than I've done now. Now we can only wait for him to recover. I'll stay here with you." He looked up at his daughter sitting on the bed, her legs crossed and both her hands holding one of his. "Come on, honey." He raised and held out his hand. Sarah raised and when she wanted to take his hand she suddenly heard Jareth sharp intake of breath. They looked down at the man and Sarah felt panic overwhelming her once more.

Jareth's skin waas still pale, but a golden glow spread over his skin, starting as a faint hue. Robert went to his side immediately and frowned. Sarah quickly tried to come up with something but her mind kept empty. "This is very odd…" He looked down Jareth's hands that dug in the sheets. "He is refusing medication, maybe this strange… glow has something to do with that. Does he have some sort of foreign illness I don't know about?"

Sarah looked down at Jareth. "Well… No…" She bit her lip and looked up at her father. "He's from another… race." She looked down at Jareth, realizing she knew someone who might know what was wrong with it. "I know who to call! Wait a moment." The woman rushed to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. "Ludo, I need you!" Much to her surprise Ludo appeared in the mirror and looked surprised as well. "Ludo – I need you to call Jareth's healer. Okay? Jareth's. Healer." Ludo nodded and disappeared.

After five minutes her father entered the bathroom. "Sarah? What are you doing?"

"Come on Ludo – you can do it…" Sarah whispered. "I'm waiting for help, dad."

"Sarah dear, I really don't think you'll find help when just staring at a mirror. We should just -" Robert jumped as the window slammed open, a fierce wind blowing through the room.

A snowy white fairy tern flew in and sat down on the edge of the bath. Sarah blinked at the bird. "Are you the Goblin King's healer?" Her father looked at Sarah and the bird strangely. The bird eyed her, then he jumped up in the air and in mid-air it turned into a human shape.

He had black hair, fierce brown eyes, a short snub nose, pointed ears, the same eyebrows as Jareth, a taut face and thin lips. He wore a white poet buttoned up until his collar bone, along with a white long doctor coat and black pants and black boots. The man bowed and looked to both of them. "Greetings, my lady. My name is Lucio." He took Sarah's hand and pressed a kiss on it and shook Robert's hand with a smile. "Greetings, my fellow doctor. What can I help you with?"

"It's Jareth – er… The Goblin King, sir, he's very sick." Sarah said as she stepped forward.

His smile disappeared and his brows knit together, his lips pursing. "Is he now? Let's have a look then shall we?" He followed Sarah to the bedroom and went to Jareth's side. He tested a few things, some things Robert had done as well. When he removed the sheets he turned around. "Would those who are not… close to Jareth, please wait outside?" Robert left swiftly but Sarah sat down with crossed legs on the sheets. "I have to search for any sign of injury or symptom." He looked at the king's pale face. "What happened to his hair?" He chuckled and started to pull off the Fae's clothes.

"I cut it."

Lucio laughed. "Then you must have quite the power over him – not even his mother was allowed to cut his hair." He frowned as he reached his pants. "Really – Jareth should get rid of those things." Sarah giggled as she saw him struggling with it and after a few minutes he finally got rid of it. "Alright that's as far as we are going to get." He rolled his eyes with a smile at Sarah's blush as she looked down to Jareth. "So you're Sarah, I assume? Jareth talked a lot about you. He said that you -" Sarah blushed and looked down her fingers. He held up his hands – noticing how rude he was and he smiled. "Alright, alright. That will be enough nosiness for a while. My apologies, I was born curious." Sarah giggled and he sighed softly. "Now let's see what he's gotten himself into this time, shall we?" He pulled things out of thin air Sarah had never seen before. Some looked funny, like the object he put between Jareth's lips to open his mouth, Lucio chuckling as he explained Fae often kept their teeth locked tight when they were asleep – and he used objects that frightened her. At some point he had pulled out some kind of huge needle and Sarah had to dive to take it to keep Jareth from getting impaled on it.

After two hours of checking all kinds of body statics he still hadn't found a trace. "I don't understand…" He said, disappointed. The doctor sat down on Jareth's side and muttered softly, obviously embarrassed. "Maybe Robert and I can cooperate. Could you call him for me please?" Sarah nodded and left quickly.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah looked how the two men stood besides Jareth's lifeless body and looked down at it, unmoving. They stared down at him in thought and somehow they seemed so similar that moment. After a few seconds both their gazes shifted, the two men looking at each other. Lucio sighed and looked back down. "I'm afraid we'll have to put more effort into this to set things right." Lucio looked up at the woman that was watching Jareth's pained expression closely. "Sarah Williams," Sarah looked up and his face was blank. "We must kill you."


	25. *Chapter 25

Sarah took a step back and Robert swiftly moved, standing between the man and her daughter. "She'll not be going." He hissed defensively.

"Robert, we have no choice. If we want Jareth to get better we have to bring someone with equal power."

"Certainly there are others with powers like him?" Sarah looked confused to the two man.

"I fear not, Robert. It's Sarah's own choice, but Jareth _will_ die if we don't do anything. We're the best doctors that could have helped Jareth, but it's out of our hands, it's up to Sarah, you can't stop her if she wants to go."

"Hold on!" Sarah jumped up and looked at the two older men. "What the hell is going on here? What do you know about the Underground?" She looked closely at her father.

Robert looked away and his jaws clenched. "We'll talk about this later, Sarah." His green eyes directed back to her. "Tell me princess, would you go to the Underground to prevent Jareth from dying."

"Of course I will!" She yelped. "I would go to the end of the world to rescue him."

"Oh we'll have to go farther then the end I fear." Lucio said seriously. "Pack your belongings and plan on how you want to disappear. We'll be gone for some months, maybe a year." He looked down at Jareth. "I'll have to put Jareth in a much deeper sleep. That way he will live longer which gives us around thirteen months to complete our journey. Please, all leave the room so I can do my work."

Sarah took her father's hand and pulled him out of the room, closing the door. She started making coffee in silence and as soon as she was done she sat down and handed her father, whom sat down on the couch, a cup as well. Quietly the woman looked into the coffee, twirling it in her cup. "Tell me what you know about the Underground, dad."

Her father looked at her sadly. "Sarah, I'm not going to lie to you. Let's start at the beginning. Your mother never left to run off with an actor. Linda lived Underground. She was the princess of the Drow population and at the time I lived Underground as well... As a normal human, of course. We met at a great ball where I was but an important guest, where we fell in love with each other. For about two years we were dating, I was 22 when I became a father. Our relationship was a secret one and we used magic to hide her pregnancy. When you were born we decided to live a double life. I would live in the Above where I could live like a normal human, where I would have rights and where your mother would spend as much time with you and I as possible. Lucio had a hard time saying goodbye. He couldn't come with me, I had to leave my own brother. I had a father that possesed magic but my mother was just a mortal. Twins are uncommon in the Underground and even if it happens one of the babes would be weak – which happened to be me."

Sarah had grown more and more pale with each word, her mouth slightly gaping. "I had been following lessons of a great healer all my life so I wasn't left in the dark when I needed a job in the Above. For three years you had been living on the verge of Above and Underground. Linda and I loved each other greatly and had been making plans to wed. However, when you turned four your mother had to fulfil her duty as a princess. Her father had given her hand away to the prince of the Orcs, he was a terrible man but it was useless for her to argue. She was wed and crowned a week later and she had to break up with me. She and I were both devastated and she almost went mad with grief when she had to leave you. I kept you with me but after three years it became more and more difficult for me to care for you so I decided to find you a mother." He looked up at her. "It wasn't easy for me to pretend to love a woman. I was still in love with your mother when Karen came into the picture. Linda visited me one more time after she left. We had a short conversation about how you were doing but she had to leave swiftly." He saw Sarah was crying and he put his coffee down, hugging her tightly. "I'd never thought you'd really _be _a princess do you? I'm sorry Sarah, but who knows – maybe we'll have time to visit her."

"How could you get a child from a woman you don't love?"

"Sarah you must understand I was heartbroken and was trying to find a way out. I never fooled myself, I know that. But I wanted someone to play with for you."

"What about the glaring towards Jareth when you first met him when you came visiting?"

"I met him earlier. I knew he was the Goblin King. I had often ruffled his feathers while I was Underground. I changed a lot when I lived in the Above so I guess he couldn't recognise me. But, Sarah, tell me how you met him?"

She wiped away her tears and looked down, feeling guilty. "Well… I guess I got envious of Toby, that he got so much attention. When you went out on my seventeenth birthday I… I wished him away to the goblins. But I ran the Labyrinth! I won him back - but contact with the Goblin King was unaviodable."

Robert smiled at her and pulled her closer. hen he was just a baby – I was supposed to keep him safe."

"It's no use crying over spilled milk. Princess, Toby was never in danger. The goblins are great babysitters if they want to, and under the rule of the Goblin King they'd do anything to please him."

"But he wanted to change him into a goblin." Sarah said, confused.

Robert chuckled. "Oh dear, where did you get _that_ rubbish?"

Sarah frowned. "He said he'd become one of them forever."

"Yes, he did." The man chuckled. "But that doesn't mean he'd turn him into a goblin. The goblin realm gives children to the people that aren't able to get one themselves – they'd just be adopted."

The woman looked her father in the eyes with a deep frown. "Why didn't he say that? I hated him for years for that."

"You could have asked for a clarification. Things aren't always what they seem in the Labyrinth."

"Daddy? Will you come with me Underground?"

He laughed out loud. "Princess – I wouldn't stay here under any circumstance. Of course I'm coming with you." Sarah smiled at him and he looked up as Lucio entered the room.

"I'm sorry – am I interrupting something?" He asked with wide eyes as he saw Sarah's tearstained cheeks.

"No, no." Sarah raised and smiled. "I never thought my dad would have a magical background."

Lucio smirked and walked over to her father, ruffling his hair. "Yes, he was a fool in potion and spell class." Robert chuckles and slapped Lucio's arm away playfully.

"So who's the oldest?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Why, me of course. Two minutes and thirty four seconds to be exact." Lucio smiled and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Even though he looks fifteen years older than me."

"How's Jareth?" She walked back towards the bedroom, Lucio and Robert following her closely.

"I want to send him to the Goblin City to his own rooms where he can rest much more comfortably." Sarah nodded and felt his forehead. She noticed that this time it wasn't burning – it was ice cold. Panicked, she reached out to his chest but calmed as she felt a steady heartbeat. His skin was pale and he seemed completely lifeless apart from the almost unnoticeable rise and fall of his chest, but at least his lips weren't as frighteningly blue anymore. Forgetting about her dad and his brother for a second, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his forehead, wrapping her arms around him to sooth herself. She felt even worse when Jareth just hung limply in her arms and she let go of him. "Everything will be alright, I'm sure." Lucio said comfortingly while putting a hand on her shoulder. "Would you please decide how you're planning to disappear? Since I believe killing you wasn't entirely to your liking."

"I guess we could just go to my performance tonight and pretend me to be kidnapped during the break." Sarah said and stepped back from Jareth's form. "I always leave for a snack in the snack bar so you can pick me up on my way there."

Lucio blinked in shock. "You mean – that I've got to do it?"

"Well you're the only one that could do it. Nobody knows you and you don't live Above so they can't hunt you down either." Sarah walked to the door. "I'm going to get my stuff, we'll have to leave in thirty-five minutes."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah was standing on the back of the stage where the lights barely reached her. Pelle was flirting with some girls on the edge of the stage, basking in their attention. Yessica was calling with Ramon, probably to check if Leah was still asleep and how he was doing. When she spotted Matt she giggled as she saw he was completely lost in a big group of heavier women. He wriggled out of the crowd and ran to Sarah, hiding behind her. "Sarah, you've got to help me! There is a herd of elephants coming after me!" His just-a-bit-too-muscled arms wrapped around her closely.

After some seconds of struggling she managed to break free and jumped out of the way of the girls. "Have fun, Matt!"

She felt the strong urge to just stay there, not wanting to leave Pelle and Yessica, but if she would stay any longer it would just get harder and harder. The woman quickly left the building and made her way to the snack bar. Her gaze flickered over the area, searching for the Fae that would pick her up any time. When she reached the snack bar he had yet to appear. Sarah decided she might as well get something to eat and she entered the warm snack bar. She politely greeted the man behind the counter and ordered.

Suddenly she felt cold metal press against her throat and an arm closed around her waist. The man in the snack bar looked terrified and made a move to free her. "Don't you dare – or I'll cut her." A cold voice hissed. Sarah's eyes flashed across the room until her gaze caught the vision of her and a man dressed in a black sweater, black trousers, black sneakers and a black cap. Chestnut hair peered out from under the cap and she realised she was in real danger. Her heart raced and when she attempted to move he pressed the knife deeper into her throat.

The man behind the counter could do no different then look how the man dragged her outside onto the street. After a few seconds he snapped out of his shock and dived for the phone, dialling 911.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah yelped fearfully as the man dragged her into an alley and pressed her into a wall. He put the knife in his mouth and put his hands on her hips, his fingers prying under her clothing. The woman cried out, her vision starting to get blurry as tears filled her eyes. The man snarled dangerously into her ear and pressed her face against the cold stone wall.

Suddenly his hands were gone and she heard the sound of a something hitting the stone wall rather violently. She whirled around and looked around her. The man that had attacked her was sprawled limply on the floor, a red stain spreading over his entire cap and on the ground. She looked to the wall where she could see a few cracks.

Suddenly a hand took hers and pulled her from the wall. The man in front of her bowed, his face incredibly apologetic and alarmed. "I'll take it from here shall I?" She yelped in relief and spontaneously threw her arms around his middle. "I'm very sorry I'm late, lady Sarah, I was still getting your luggage Underground."

"I'm so glad you're here!" Sarah exclaimed and let go of him. Suddenly furious she turned to the man lying on the ground and kicked him harshly in the ribs. Lucio chuckled softly and held out his hand.

"Let's go shall we?"


	26. *Chapter 26

Sarah's head spun as the ground came back under her feet. She staggered but Lucio could grab her just before she lost her footing. "Geez, are these travels always this unpleasant?" Sarah blinked a few times and was relieved when the world stopped spinning. The woman felt her heart jump as she looked around and saw she was in the throne room. A familiar fresh morning air drifted in her nose. She had missed the scent and the feel of the air around her. Sarah looked to the throne standing on a higher point in the room and felt slightly sad that she knew Jareth wouldn't be sitting there for a while. Then she noticed dozens of eyes were staring at her. The woman looked at them silently and didn't really know what to do.

"It's the girl that ate the peach 'nd forgot everythin'!" Called one of the goblins. "Get 'er!" The huge crowd of goblins ran towards her. Sarah yelled, running towards the throne and jumping on it. She slightly winced when she felt the hard stone hit her tailbone but noticed all the goblins had frozen, staring at her with wide eyes. "Girly on the throne?" A goblin yelped. "Kingy won't like that!" Called another. Suddenly the entire room started to buzz with goblins arguing if they should remove her or if she got there with approval of the King.

Lucio stepped closer to Sarah, slightly bowing to her and muttering swiftly. "You'd better show them who's boss or you'll end up on the top of the tower where they will throw Bog balloons to you."

Sarah's eyes widened and she looked to the Fae besides her. She quickly jumped up and stomped her foot, a sound that echoed through the room. "Silence!" The goblins froze again, some still gaping with their mouths after their voice died away in mid-sentence.

"Eep!"

"Who was that?" Sarah called. If she had to show them who was the leader she might as well start firmly.

A goblin raised his hand which held a ladle and waved with it. "Me, me!"

"Come here." The woman pointed to the ground before her. When the goblin was making his way through the crowd she was thinking what she could do best. She knew Jareth handled his goblins quite roughly. She looked down at the goblin now standing in front of her. It wore rags, like they all did, his face looked a bit like a pig crossed with a dog, his skin was green and his hair pitch black. "You knew I told you to be silent, didn't you?"

"Ya."

"Excuse me, that would be 'yes, madam'." Sarah corrected.

"No, not really." It argued.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, her jaw clenched and she saw the goblin's expression change from sober to scared. "Very well. You go practice on saying that in the bog, then." She swung back her leg and with a hard kick she made the goblins sail through the air, watching it hurry out of the door after he hit it.

"Good work." Lucio said approvingly.

The goblins looked doubtfully at each other. Even though they weren't smart – they were capable of thinking just enough to understand that something wasn't quite right here.

"She's taking over the kingdom!" A panicked goblin cried out suddenly. "Kingdom-stealing when Kingy is out! We must warn Kingy!" It threw a smaller goblin out of the window, dismissing it to fetch the King. The small goblin miraculously immediately understood what needed to be done and cried out to the absent king that it was coming for him. "Call Kepthi – he is the temporarily leader – he can fight with the girly!"

Everything suddenly went very fast as the goblins ran in circles, knocking others over as they all panicked. Sarah gulped as she saw a huge goblin step in, holding a club covered with spikes. His hair was snow white, his face looking like a pug but with no ears and very small eyes. He had a strong and beefy build and was clad in what seemed to have been a white shirt and yellow pants in the past. Since he wore no shoes or gloves Sarah had to wince as she saw the disgusting claws and feet of the creature. Every goblin cheered as he entered and made his way to the woman. Sarah jumped onto the throne again, this time sitting on her knees. The huge goblin, about two heads taller as Sarah, lifted his club.

Both Lucio and Robert, of which Sarah missed the arrival, jumped in front of her and both held out his hands, calling out in perfect unison. "Stop!"

Kepthi's eyes widened, lost his balance and the end of a club landed on one of the goblins. It yelped in pain but ran away without a scratch – apart from the few cuts in his clothes.

Sarah saw her father now wore brown loose pants, a white poets and black boots reaching halfway his calves. She was slightly shocked that the only way she could differentiate the two of them now was by the length of their hair. Her father still the short dark brown hair and Lucio the half-long black hair. Although her father used to be a bit more heavy he suddenly looked pretty lanky.

"Be away, Kepthi. Sarah is here in name of the King. You will be greatly punished if you'd dare to even touch her." Lucio commented sternly.

"If that's so, then where is the King?" He growled.

Lucio took a step forward, the big goblin taking a step back because Lucio still had a higher rank than he had. "Jareth is in the grasp of a curse, at the moment he is in a deep rest to slow down his dying process. Sarah is here to save him. Any hostility toward the woman will be seen as treason and conspiracy and will be punished by death. Do you understand?"

Kepthi, clearly still displeased, growled, the canines of his bottom jaw prying from under his upper lip. Then he looked towards Sarah whom was trying to look regal even though she was still scared. "If this is the truth I can do no different than obey, I wouldn't dare to defy my King or any of his liking." Kepthi made a disgraceful bow and left the room while still muttering darkly to himself.

Sarah let out a sigh of relief and raised. Suddenly all the goblins jumped back, obviously alarmed after they just found out she was of such great importance. Her stomach growled and she blushed as Lucio had obviously heard it. He snapped his fingers, summoning one of the goblins. "Pappy, the lady is hungry. Make sure dinner is served in the dining hall for three."

"Ya." It yelped and scurried off.

Lucio turned to Sarah. "My lady, please allow me to escort you to your room to freshen up before dinner."

Sarah giggled at his outstretched hand and pointed at it. "Oh please, Lucio. You're my uncle. What's up with the formalities?"

"Just a habit, I assure you." He took her hand that still pointed at him and wrapped it around his arm. "I've always treated ladies respectfully and I'm not planning on changing that habit just for my niece." He looked to his brother. "I'll see you at dinner, brother-mine. Do try to avoid getting lost." Robert narrowed his eyes and Lucio left laughing.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Lucio stopped at a set of large wooden doors, in which all kinds of flowers were carved. He took the golden knob and pushed open the doors. "Your chambers."

Sarah's jaw dropped as she saw the room which was probably the size of her first floor in her old house. The floor was covered with a black carpet, huge windows allowing spectacular views of the Goblin City and the Labyrinth. Dark red curtains were pulled back from them, showing off a large balcony. She let go of Lucio's arm and walked inside. The desk and vanity were made of beautiful dark brown mahogany, the mirror's frame decorated with golden swirls, carvings of goblins and little crystal buds that shimmered in the light of the candles that were spread through the entire room. The vanity held all kinds of make-up, hair clips and jewellery that would make every girl jealous. The desk was empty apart from an inkwell and a large feather, probably the papers and other objects neatly put away in the drawers. A few statues of fantasy creatures were scattered across the room, a unicorn, a faun, a mermaid and a few others. The canopy bed in the middle of the back wall seemed suitable for three or four people, the panels also carved. The panels reached up until the ceiling where the carvings of the roses ending in capitals where they smoothly ended against the ceiling. The bed was full of pillows and made with the softest of silk and velvet.

"This is impossible." Sarah muttered and looked up at Lucio, excitement still in her eyes. "This can't be my room – this is more like a room for a queen or something." She still looked around, not believing it was real.

"Yes – it's fit for a queen. Jareth made it specially for you even before you entered the Labyrinth. He designed the room so it would suit your needs." Lucio smiled as Sarah looked at him, wide-eyed. "You can find your bathroom and wardrobe through the doors there." He said as he pointed them out.

Sarah looked at them curiously and walked to the back wall to the right door and was greeted by a wardrobe filled with dresses and shoes about a quarter of the size of her new bedroom. She squealed girlishly and went to the other door with great excitement. She pulled it open and gasped as she entered a beautiful bathroom. The walls and ceiling were clad with beautiful black tiles and the ground with shining golden ones. Sitting in the left corner was a tub of gold fit for eight people, a construction of a mountain climbing up the corner, forming a small waterfall that was running constantly. In the other corner was a shower, the vision blurred behind the screen decorated with crystals in the window. There was another walk-in closet, the doors open and allowing her a view of beautiful nightgowns. The sink was positioned on the left wall besides the toilet and a dresser, the mirror holding a small tray on its side in which lie hair elastics, a comb and a brush. On the right there was a changing screen in the same style as the shower's screen, besides that the screen was made of wood that would hide a vision completely.

"Oh wow – I have no words for this – it's absolutely beautiful…" She said in awe as she walked back into the bedroom. She spotted another door and she rested her hand on it. "What does this door lead to?"

"That would be Jareth's room." She looked at it and nodded. The woman slightly jumped as she heard a knock on the door and she turned around. A blonde girl, around eighteen years, was standing in the doorway hesitantly. She had blue, wide eyes, her hair was pulled up in a neat knot and her petite form was clad in a simple, blue maids dress matched with a blue cap and blue slippers. "Ah, Ariel, there you are. Do come in, girl." She looked towards Sarah and dropped in a deep bow. "Sarah, this will be your personal maid. She will be helping you with whatever you need to be done. Such as help braiding your hair, fastening your corsets, fetching food or drinks when you desire them and escorting you through the castle."

"Oh…" Sarah said in awe. She stepped towards the girl and held out her hand. Ariel looked at it strangely and barely dared to move. The woman pulled her hand back and looked at Lucio awkwardly.

"Well." Lucio commented joyously. "I'll be on my way. I have a few things I must attend to. You can freshen up and rest in your room. Ariel will know when dinner will be ready. We'll discuss our matters after dinner. " Lucio bowed politely and left the room.

There fell an awkward silence in the room and Sarah sighed softly. She went into her wardrobe and looked at the dozens of dresses. "Um, Ariel? What am I supposed to wear to dinner?"

Ariel walked into the closet and turned to the left. "These are the dresses meant for a private dinner, Your Highness."

Sarah gritted her teeth slightly when she called her like that. "Thank you, but please call me Sarah."

"I have been ordered to call you by your rank in all times, Your Majesty."

"Please don't – I'm not a queen, I mean I am a princess but I really feel uncomfortable when you call me like that."

"Is mistress to your liking, Your Highness?"

"Madam is more than enough, Ariel, thank you." Sarah smiled friendly at her and started digging through the dresses to find one of her liking.

"Then madam shall it be, madam." Ariel said respectively,

The woman pulled out a simple green dress with a v-neck, the sleeves long, probably draped over her hand as it ended in a point at her middle fingers. Ariel held out her hand to the shoes and she chose a pair of simple, matching green slippers. Sarah exited the wardrobe and draped the clothing over the changing screen in the bathroom. "I'll be taking a quick bath. How do I control the temperature of the water?"

"The temperature is always warm and alters to the bathers liking in a matter of seconds. Soap, shampoo and towels are to be found in the dresser. Can I assist you with any other matter, madam?"

"No thank you, you may go." Ariel bowed and left the room, Sarah hearing her closing the curtains in the other room. Sarah looked to the dresser and started to dig through the different kinds of soaps and shampoos. After she made her choice she put them down on the edge of the bath, lay a towel down on the top of the dresser and undressed. She stepped carefully into the bath and sighed in delight.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah bathed and dressed quickly, brushing her hair until it was dry and walked back into her bedroom. She looked to the door that led to Jareth's room and walked towards it. After hesitating for just a second she opened the door and walked in. Instead of gawking at the beautiful she resolutely walked to the bed, where she saw Jareth lying in the mess of pillows. She felt her eyes starting to tear. The Fae was as pale as death, his breathing very slowly, stopping a few seconds after every exhalation. His face looked, instead of in peace, stiff and his lips were slightly curled down. His hair looked limp and and the blonde colour had lost some of it's glory.

The woman sat down on her knees besides the bed, making sure she wasn't sitting on the dress, and took his hand. It was cold, its temperature creeping through her skin to claw at her bones. She couldn't care less, though. The vision he gave her terrified her and distracted her of everything but the view. Sarah lifted his hand and pressed a kiss on it, after that she lay it against her cheek, relieved they were still silky when they touched her, instead of stiff like she had expected to.

Suddenly there sounded a knock on the door of her room. She jumped up, dropping Jareth's hand, and hurried to her room, closing the door behind her. "Come in."

Ariel stepped inside and bowed. "Madam, dinner is ready. Please allow me to escort you to the dining hall." Sarah nodded and walked to the girl, following her when she lead her through the castle.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

"What do you suppose it will take, Lucio?" Robert asked with a frown while looking out of the window in the dining hall.

"Well I'm not sure yet. We might have to travel to find out. We can collect information from the Hidden Library. I'm sure we can find a solution in those dark parts of the castle. We probably will have to use a spell or an ancient oath to ask the gods and the spirits to heal him. However, it could ask a sacrifice and I must say – Underground sacrifices aren't pretty at all. We could have to kill a unicorn, fetch a tooth from a dragon without killing it or such things. Also there is the possibility that we have to make a potion. These could have the most impossible contents, which could force us to travel."

"I don't want my girl to get into any danger. What if she has to be sacrificed? Or if she gets hurt while travelling or fetching one of those contents?" Robert turned to his brother and looked at him sadly.

"Dear Robert, I can't promise nothing will happen to her – but I am prepared to die for the King _and_ his beloved." Robert looked at him silently. Both of them looked around as they heard a knock, followed by the opening of a door.

Sarah stepped in and smiled. "Interrupting anything?"

"Of course not!" Lucio said joyously. "Do sit down, dinner will be served shortly." Robert looked a bit helplessly at Lucio when he hid his worries so easily. He watched Lucio holding out a chair for her and he sat down by them. Less then a minute later a few servants entered and started filling the table with dishes, bowls and cutlery.


	27. *Chapter 27

Robert saw Sarah looking around the library in awe. She traced the wooden bookcases while her eyes scanned everything in the room. The soft dark red couches, the big windows, the great paintings, the lovely side tables and the funny wooden goblin statues that were spying on them from corners and shadows in the room. The library was a giant room with a second floor and two big stairs leading up to it. On the second floor it was much more cozy, the area darker, less spacy and with more detail such as flowers, statues and pits filled with cushions.

Lucio flopped down on one of the couches on the first floor and mentioned Robert to join him. "Sarah, would you be so kind to stop exploring the library and come over here to talk? A certain Goblin King requires our attention." Sarah, standing on the first floor hurried downstairs and jumped into one of the pits, sitting only a small distance from the two brothers. Taking a cushion on her lap she prepared herself for whatever was coming. 

"There is a possibility that we needn't to travel. Jareth has a hidden library in which information lies that cannot stand the daylight. Literally and figuratively."

"But we are supposed to help Jareth get better – I don't understand what's so dark about that." Sarah asked.

Lucio leaned forward, his elbows leaning on his knees and his hands clasped together. "It's not, but the curse that is pulling him deeper into never waking again and shoving him closer to death's grasp most certainly is. When breaking a curse the first step is to find out which curse has been used and learn its details. Who knows…" He looked up at the woman. "Maybe it will be no use to try to rescue him if this curse is as bad as it looks."

Suddenly Sarah's sad expression slipped and her face twisted in anger. "This is ridiculous! Who would do this to Jareth?" She called out, jumping up and starting to pace the room. "And when? I mean – I've been with him th-" The woman froze. "The alley." She thought out loud.

"Sarah?" Robert called softly.

She ignored him and kept silent for a few seconds before she started pacing again. "We had a fight, I was angry and left for my next performance after a policeman interfered. When I was done singing I headed back home and found Jareth in an alley. He had been standing in the rain – he was soaking wet… I thought it was just a cold at first but after that if became worse."

Lucio jumped up with a snarl. He cursed and quickly started to pace to calm himself. "We've got to get the vision of that. But how... Ah, of course! The Web of Dreams."

"The Web of Dreams?" Sarah and Robert asked in unison.

"Yes – the web of dreams. With the fresh morning moisture on its threads people with little magic can still look into the past for information. However, the Web is guarded by a great spider. We'll have to solve ten of its riddles to get access to the dewdrops." He looked at the worried expressions of Sarah and Robert. "Unless one of you has a better idea, of course." Robert thought of another way, feeling the other's eyes boring into him. "We'll have to know who did this either way, Robert." Lucio pointed out. "You don't _have_ to come along."

"And leave my daughter to a huge spider?" Robert snapped. "I don't think so!" He sighed deeply.

"What are you afraid of, dad?"

"The Web of Dreams is placed in the Drow realm." Lucio commented.

Sarah felt slightly excited when she heard that. "But that means that I could see my mother?"

Robert raised and walked to the window, leaving Sarah in an excited rant where she chirped about how she wondered how she looked and if she was anything like her mother. Lucio rather rudely interrupted Sarah as he saw his worried brother. "My brother – I already told you, you don't have to come with us. I can take care of Sarah just fine. You don't have to face her."

The man laughed bitterly. "How pathetic, how could I be afraid to face the woman I'll love 'till the end? No, I'm coming with you. When do we leave?"

"The day after tomorrow when she first light touches the horizon."

"Then I'll make sure I'm ready by then." Robert turned to his brother, looking into his eyes for a second before he left the room.

When Lucio turned around he noticed Sarah was pacing, her face pale with worry. "Lady Sarah, please allow me to escort you to your room." He walked over to her, bowing slightly and holding out his hand.

"How could I possibly sleep? Jareth's dying – we can't rest. I want to go to the hidden library, where is it?" Sarah searched the room with her eyes.

The man put a hand on her shoulder. "It's hidden Sarah – as it's supposed to be. It will have no use to go and look for the library now. It only opens when no moon adorns the sky. We'll have to wait six days."

"You mean we are completely powerless now?"

"Well – I wouldn't say it like that. Of course we have some grip on this. Look, you could pace your little feet off, paw through the entire library all night or search the potion room for whatever you think is useful, but it won't make any difference. Every spell is unique and it's maker gives its own twist to it."

"Okay, so if we know who did it – then what? Ask him or her nicely to take the spell away?"

Lucio grinned, his friendly appearance suddenly changing into something darker. "Ask the wolf to spit out the lamb... Of course not. If we know who did this we'll have to get the information, whatever it takes. Throw him or her in the dungeons and torture him or her until he or she spills everything." Suddenly he shrugged, his face becoming expressionless. "If we know his or her ways or what he or she used we can reverse it. Torture is an often used and very effective way. Do you have problems with torture, Sarah?"

"Some jackass bestowed a curse on Jareth – likely to end with death. He or she deserves to die." She growled, her green eyes wild. Suddenly she looked down, suddenly shy. "I'd appreciate it if I wouldn't have to see it though."

Lucio laughed and took her hand. "Of course not. I would never allow a woman to see such a thing. Now, please allow me to escort you to your chambers. You need to rest if you want to be able to travel the day after tomorrow." Sarah took his arm as he held it out and followed him to her room. It amazed Sarah how many twists and turns this castle had. It was a miracle Lucio didn't get lost in it. He noticed the look on her face and chuckled. "I don't get lost Sarah. I've been living here for almost two centuries." He stopped in front of her door and bowed. "This is where I leave you, Sarah. Take a good rest, enjoy yourself tomorrow and don't worry. Everything is going to be fine, I promise."

Sarah smiled. "I do hope so. Goodnight, Lucio." She looked how he nodded and left. The woman walked into her room, huffed and decided to pull on a nightgown and brush her teeth.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah looked outside to the Labyrinth. Ariel was standing by the door silently, waiting for any orders. Sarah looked towards the door of Jareth's room and bit her lip. She wanted to talk to him. She needed it. It didn't matter how, she just wanted to feel his presence. Her eyes fell on the inkwell on the desk and she sat down by it. The woman searched for a piece of paper. When she found a piece of parchment she took the feather, dipped it in the ink and started to write.

Half an hour later she felt her eyes starting to slip closed. With a sigh she ended the letter, it looked a bit childish, certainly with some words crossed out and a little heart at the bottom of the letter. She raised, walked to Jareth's room and put it down on his nightstand. The woman leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his cheek. After that she left the room again, dismissed Ariel and went to bed.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The sound of a crash made Sarah fly up in her bed. She looked around the room and her eyes searched for whatever had woken her up. Just before she decided it may have been in her dreams she heard a crow cry somewhere in her room. She looked up and was just in time to see it attacking her. Sarah cried out in panic, pulling the sheets over her head and felt the crow claw viciously at the sheets. The sound of a door slamming open drifted through it and she heard Lucio call out her name. The crow cried again and felt it hitting her shoulder like it was beaten down. As soon it disappeared from the bed she sat upright, looking around the room. Lucio made a leap to the bird that went further into the room but couldn't catch it. He swore with the creativity of a sailor and sighed as it flew out the window.

His brown eyes looked up at her and instantly flashed away in embarrassment, his back turning to her. "Lady Sarah – are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm ok." She said as she looked at the back of her hand, stroking the small cut the bird had given her. "You can turn around you know."

"I think not." He said coolly. "It's forbidden to see certain parts of a woman you haven't wed. Even if it's family." Sarah looked at his back, still being a little bit confused from the bird. "Now that you are awake, would you like me to have your breakfast prepared?"

"Um no thanks I'm not really hungry yet."

"Then I shall leave you to your morning routine. You can do whatever you wish today, however, if you plan on leaving the castle then please take a group of goblins with you. Dangers are lurking in the Labyrinth and I'll never forgive myself if something happens to you. You can find my in the library if you need me." With his eyes closed tightly he spun on his heel, bowed and left the room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah had been escorted to the throne room. She looked around the goblins running through the room and cleared her throat but they kept scurrying around. The woman sighed, made her way to the throne and sat down, similar to how Jareth always sat but still lady-like, convinced that the goblins would recognise it.

And they did. They stopped for a short moment but then continued with their mischief.

"You there." Sarah pointed at one of the goblins. It looked around him and pointed to his chest. "Yes you. Come here." It looked at her dryly, obviously not planning on obeying. "Come here or I'll dip you in the bog." The dumb look in his eyes disappeared swiftly and he ran to her, tripping a few times before he reached her. "Fetch me a few goblins to join me this afternoon. I want to visit the Labyrinth."

It nodded. "Ya. You want me to get you a horse?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Ok." It turned to leave but Sarah grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Pardon me? I thought I had made clear yesterday how to answer me."

"Ok, ma'am." It huffed.

Sarah let go of it. "Thank you. Be ready in half an hour and meet me here." She looked around to all the goblins that were looking at the room as if it was the first time they'd seen it. She wondered what exactly it was that she was in this castle. Technically she was a guest, but Lucio and all the goblins treated her like a queen. Sarah shivered at the thought. She thought about the journey to the Drow realm. The thought of the big spider sent a shiver down her spine. Sure, she had removed spiders out of Toby's room, but somehow she knew this spider wouldn't be so easily meddled with. The vision of her standing in front of a spider as big as a building flashed before her eyes and she quickly pushed it away. She thought of Jareth, the way he was looking now, and felt her heart sink. Having enough of the heavy thoughts she buried her face in her hand and closed her eyes.

Apparently some time had elapsed, because someone cleared his throat and when she opened her eyes she saw the goblin she had ordered to get her some goblins standing in front of her. "I's got you what you asked for." Sarah looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Ma'am." It rolled his eyes.

Sarah raised. "Good. Let's go then shall we?" The woman followed him as he walked out of the throne room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

It took about ten minutes to reach the back of the castle where they would leave. A black Friesian horse was standing a few meters away. It was scraping impatiently with his hoof and shook his head, throwing up the curtain of black, long mane. He wore a golden bridle, the reins held by a goblin. The saddle was partly made of golden as well. Apparently goblins were capable enough of thinking that they could know she would need a side-saddle with the dress she was wearing. Sarah walked over to the horse and patted the side of its neck.

"You must know this is no ordinary horse, ma'am. His name is Tasler. He is impatient but gentle, he would neve' throw you off but don't gallop with him. He recently recove'ed of an injury and can only trot and walk. He, however, can flee differently should you get in troubl'. Call out tha magic word and it will get 'ou out of the place in tha matte' of seconds." The goblin that held the reins explained.

"And what is this magic word?" Sarah queried.

"His name backwards, ma'am." It leaned closer to her, being as long as her. "Relsat." He leaned back. "He only listens when you call it though. If you whisper it he won't obey. Also 'ou must be upset or in panic – he won't be fooled and won't use so much energy if it isn't needed."

"Alright, thank you." She reached out to mount, thanking the goblin again as he helped her. A group of goblins walked to her and waited for her to leave. "If there's trouble, then how will the goblins escape?"

The goblin holding the reins snorted. "Yer kiddin' right? No one eve' caught a goblin and no-one ever will. Have a nice aft'noon and I'll see Tasler later." He stroked the horse's nose, pulled the reins over his neck and handed them to Sarah.

"Thanks for your help." Sarah heard him mutter something about being so 'damn polite' after she spurred the horse and she chuckled softly. Hopefully she would have an easy afternoon. 


	28. *Chapter 28

Sarah stepped through the Labyrinth, Tasler sighing contently. They had already seen the beautiful gardens, the lake and now they were almost past the Goblin City. It grew more and more quiet as they reached the gate with a cross on it. Sarah mentioned one of the goblins to open the gate and she walked through it in silence.

It was a graveyard.

She looked with wide eyes at the stones describing goblins that had passed on. Sarah forced her face forward, avoiding all the depressing quotes. However, something that caught her eye, made her jerk just a bit too hard on the reins and jump off. The goblins yelped and hid behind the other part of the horse, thinking she had done that just to scare them.

Sarah had no idea how she could have spotted this since she saw it from quite a distance. She ran towards it, her dress flowing around her legs as she did so. The woman fell on her knees and looked with shocked disbelief to the inscription.

_"Sir Hoggle_  
~  
Respected Knight of the Lady Sarah  
15th July 1347 – 27th December 1995  
~  
Born a poor lad, died a knight.  
You will always be in our hearts."

Tears streamed down Sarah's cheeks. She looked to the stone, frozen. When one of the goblins put his hand on her shoulder, she leaned down, her cheek resting against the stone and she started to cry.

After a long time Sarah straightened up, rubbing the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry Hoggle, I'm so sorry." She whispered and smiled sadly as she realized he had been 648 when he died. The woman traced the cold stone with her fingers and raised. Patting one of the goblins on his head to thank him. "Let's go back to the castle. I'd like to come here again tomorrow before we leave." The woman walked back to the horse, her chin lifted to prevent herself from crying again. She stroked Tasler for a moment and then mounted him again, steering him back towards the castle. Sarah sighed and Tasler looked up at her. He sighed deeply, nudging her foot once before it obeyed to return to the castle.

All the way back she kept thinking about her friend. Smiling as she thought back to the time she first met when he was making use of the pond outside the Labyrinth. She sniffed and pushed another tear away.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

When Robert reached Sarah's room to call her for dinner she didn't respond as he knocked. After a few tries he opened the door to look if she was even there and he found her crying on her bed, curled up into a little ball while embracing the pillow. The man hurried to her side, sitting down on his knees on the floor to look in her eyes. They looked empty. "Princess? Sarah? What's wrong? The King will be fine, you know that?"

Sarah sniffed and blinked a few times. "It's not just that, dad. I just discovered my best friend Underground died without me knowing anything about it… And I couldn't even say goodbye."

Robert stroked her arm gently, like he did when she was younger and crying. "It's alright, princess. Don't cry. I'm here for you. Would you like it better if I let dinner be served in your rooms?"

Sarah nodded and he smiled softly, drying her tears with a handkerchief he pulled from his coat.


	29. *Chapter 29

Sarah left the graveyard again after she visited Hoggle's grave. It was almost unthinkable that he had actually passed away. It seemed so… impossible. She pushed the new tears from her face and just waited until they would be at the castle again. At least she had something to cheer her up.

She'd see her real mother again today.

Nerves blossomed in her stomach. Would her mother recognise her? Would she recognise her mother? Could she bring her mother and father together again? Sarah thought of this eagerly – they still loved each other didn't they? While spurring her horse to go faster she thought about it. She didn't ride on Tasler today. This horse was called Olicia, it was a blonde mare that had a playful character but was quite jumpy.

Sarah made it back to the castle within twenty minutes and the sun was rising quietly. The goblins still weren't really obeying her, but there was a start. She pulled a small box out of her bag which the goblins had filled with her breakfast. As she looked inside she pulled up her upper lip in disgust, closing it again. Goblins were so immature. "Very funny guys. I didn't ask for bog soup. You have four minutes to get me something else or I'll hang you by your tongues above the bog." The goblins gasped and ran off, deciding it wasn't such a good idea to tease the lady. She dismounted the horse, gave it to the stable manager and went inside the castle. Already knowing the castle somehow, she headed for her room but halted when she heard voices from the library

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

"I can't do this, Lucio." Robert said as he paced.

"Don't be ridiculous, brother. She's the love of your life as far as I heard and experienced the story."

"She _is_ \- but what if she doesn't recognise me anymore – or if she doesn't love me anymore?"

Lucio snorted. "Really, do you even believe she would forget you? Or if she would stop loving you – or Sarah for that matter?" He turned to the door. "Because I _know_ you are listening, young lady."

The doors opened and Sarah stepped in, blushing. "I'm sorry."

"Have you visited Jareth today already?" Robert asked quietly, still distressed.

"No… actually I was just going to him. I'll make it quick – we leave in half an hour, right?" When Lucio nodded she left quickly.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah stepped into the dark room with a lit candle. They had decided to keep the room dark and warm because Lucio said it would be better for him. She put the candle on the nightstand and sat on the floor on her knees, leaning on the side of the bed.

Jareth's face was thinner than usual, his skin pale and flawless. His blonde mane was a bit longer already, but dull, limp and seeming to get a more brown-ish color. Sarah frowned, raking through his hair but pulled back as it stung in her hand with an icy coldness. She felt her heart sink and even though he was as cold as ice she traced his features. Sarah rested one hand on his cheek and caressed his high cheekbone with her thumb. She jumped as she thought she felt his muscles ripple under her hand but it went so fast she wasn't sure. The woman shook her head, closing her eyes. She was finally breaking down under the stress and she felt tears trickle down her cheeks once more.

Sarah jumped as a shadow fell over her and she turned around. Her father was standing behind her. He pulled her up and embraced her. "Oh Sarah – what are you doing to yourself?"

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah would be sitting in the coach alone since Robert and Lucio were on top of the carriage, Robert reading the map and Lucio managing the horses. It would take around eight hours to get to the castle of the Drow population. The carriage shook as it started to move and Sarah let out a very deep sigh, directing her eyes to the window.

Today she would see her mother. Her real mother. The woman wondered if her mother would have gotten more kids or not, considering she had to leave her first so tragically.

It was funny though, how much her father had dressed himself up. It reminded her of a peacock. The most fancy thing she had even seen him wearing was a normal tuxedo. Right now he was wearing coal black shiny boots, a dark brown pants – thank god not as tight as Jareth's – a white poet and a beautiful black jacket. He was beginning to look so youthful so quick Sarah was a little bit afraid of it. At some point he'd have to return to the Above, right?

Despite Sarah's distress she felt herself fall asleep.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah jolted awake, her heart thudding painfully in her chest as a loud metal roar echoed through the environment. She looked outside and saw herself passing a great metal gate. There were weird creatures standing by it, things she could only guess to be orcs. The carriage came to a halt and a servant stepped in front of the carriage door, opening it and holding out his hand. Sarah's heart jumped – this was it, now she would meet her mother. She took the hand carefully and stepped out as graceful as she could manage. Robert and Lucio were already standing beside the carriage and Robert pulled Sarah close to him. She looked at him closely, seeing the protectiveness on his face. She looked forward where she saw a man standing in the middle of the colourless courtyard.

As far as the eye could reach there was just one thing. Stone.

Sarah looked at the man, his hair was a dark shade of red, pulled back in a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a cold colour of ochre, his lips thin, his cheeks sunken and his nose crooked. He wore armour, all black, with a belt of daggers around his middle. The woman felt herself grow uneasy as he headed for them and she moved closer to her father. Robert and Lucio bowed but she felt herself too frozen to react.

The man's voice was cold and unimpressed as he spoke. "Ah, you have arrived." He shook Lucio and Robert's hand and his eyes directed to Sarah, making her feel like a mouse cornered by a cat. "And who is this? I bet you are my wife's lost child?" She almost cringed at the coldness in his voice and jumped back as he reached for her hand. Robert went to stand before her protectively and she looked down. "Grown up in the Above I suppose, very well, follow me. My wife is waiting for you in my library."

Sarah gripped her fathers hand tightly. "That guy gives me the creeps!" Lucio laughed and gave her shoulder a calming squeeze. It seemed way too soon when they reached the doors to the library and Sarah looked at them nervously. Robert looked at her, smiling and then back forward. "I present you, your mother, Linda _Williams_." He spoke the last name possessively and Sarah felt a lump in her throat. The doors opened and the woman inside turned around.


	30. *Chapter 30

Sarah stared to the woman before her. Never had she guessed her mother would look that much like her. They had the exact same shape of face and the same lips – the only difference was their hair and shape of ears. Linda's hair was heavy and straight and her ears were pointy. Linda was clothed in fur and silks, covering her build almost completely. Her smile was dazzling but different from hers. She held out her arms but Sarah wasn't sure what to do.

Linda walked to her and embraced her tightly. Then she pulled back and looked at her. "Oh my little Sarah – you look so much like me!" Her voice was light and happy and reminded Sarah of an angel. She turned to Robert and smiled at him. Robert took a bow and kissed her hand, Linda pulling her hand back and embracing him to. The man that had welcomed him narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands but Linda waved it off. "Don't mind Jespar – he knows the story."

The woman turned back to Sarah again and took both her hands. "Sarah, please join me on the balcony, there's so much I want to know about you!" Linda started to tug her along and Sarah looked awkwardly towards Robert that nodded and turned to speak to Jespar.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

"I never would have thought you would one day end up with the biggest pain in the butt in the Underground – how did he end up in your store?" Linda quietly stirred her tea with her spoon and took a sip.

"I'm still not sure either. He's not that much of a pain though. At least not all of the time."

"Why do I sense something special here?" Linda smirked.

Sarah looked to the window, blinking innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sarah and Jareth sitting in the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love-"

"Stop it, stop it!" Sarah cried out and became bright red.

"Oh don't worry, darling, love is a beautiful thing!"

She raised one eyebrow. "I just said that he had seen me in the Labyrinth and that he showed up at my shop!"

"And you kept him for months. Tell me that nothing happened theIt felt so ordinary - so right - yet so foreign all at the same time. Linda hugged her and giggled.

"Oh how much I would have loved to see you two meet!"

Sarah wriggled out of her mothers grasp and took a sip of her tea. "So, I told you about me for most of my life – at least until I took Jareth in like a stray. Now tell me about yours?"

"It really isn't much of a story. I lived until I had to leave you and your father – and I assume he already told you about that. After that I lived the life a queen is supposed to live. Bow gracefully, smile sweetly, be pretty and make sure the kingdom gets a heir." She shivered unpleasantly. "The only thing I could tell you is that I got a son who ran away from me. I guess I deserved that since I did the same to you."

"But you couldn't help it – it was your duty."

"No, my Sarah. I was too scared to run off with your father. If I had chosen to do so all those years ago I'd have never left you or your father. It would have been so much easier."

Sarah shook her head. "No, it's your duty. If you'd have run away it wouldn't have solved anything. Don't you think they would do anything to find a lost princess?"

"I guess so, I still regret it though. You look tired, why don't you go to your room and take a nap? I'll send someone for you when dinner gets served."

Sarah smiled and nodded, excusing herself. She raised quietly and left the room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah looked at her father and then back at her plate, taking an awkward bite. Robert was glancing frequently at Linda like a small schoolboy, Jespar looked frequently at Robert, making sure he didn't get any ideas and Lucio was looking at Jespar to make sure his brother would be safe. It was a funny thought that Sarah almost felt left out with no one glancing at her. At least it allowed her to let her mind wonder and don't worry about anyone questioning her lack of appetite and constantly changing features.

Predictably, her mind first wondered to Jareth. She was a lot of miles away from him and that realisation made her nervous. If anything would happen now, it would take hours for her to be back by his side. She missed his nosiness, his cockiness – hell, she even missed his whining. The woman would give anything to see him look at a computer, a weird outfit or fireworks with wide mismatched eyes and that tiny wrinkle between his eyebrows he got whenever he didn't understand something. She missed his grace, playfulness and flirtatious nature.

What if he wouldn't wake up again?

It would take ages before Sarah would know how to lift a curse. It could take them forever to just find out who had done it. They would have to squeeze the information out of the man or woman that had given him the spell, which would probably take forever too. After that they would have to find a way to make a unique spell to lift it and who knew how long that was going to take. The fact that Sarah barely slept, ate or relaxed didn't make the matter any easier. She glanced at her father swiftly.

And her lovesick puppy of a father would probably have some difficulties too.

With the facts lined up Sarah felt a piece of hope slip from her fingers, an image of Jareth lying dead in his bed filling her mind and blurring her vision of the real world.

Sarah hadn't noticed her father, mother and uncle calling for her until she got shaken by one of them. She blinked a few times, looking up at Lucio's worried face and didn't notice until then that she was crying, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. She raised, shaking Lucio's hands from her shoulders and backing away. "Excuse me." She choked, turned and dashed from the room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah had absolutely no idea where she was going. She was running, tears streaming down her cheeks and her feet complaining about the high heels she wore. The woman kicked them off, not caring one bit where they ended up and who would take them.

She made it to a large field on the back of the castle, filled with wild flowers, when she dropped to her knees.

The woman had no inclination about how long she had been sitting there. The sun was setting and the moon was rising. Her energy had nearly reached a critical point when she felt a hand come to rest on her upper arm. Sarah's heart jumped and she turned around to face whoever had disturbed her. A young man was sitting in front of her. His hair was red, short and slightly wavy, his wide eyes a familiar shade of green. He had thin lips, slightly rounded cheeks and a crooked nose covered in freckles. The man reminded her of a kitten, or a well behaving little schoolboy. He wore a simple brown pants, black boots and a white shirt.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you… Are you alright?"

Sarah quickly pushed some tears from her cheeks, finding her eyes sore and her cheeks slightly rough. "Who are you?"

The man smiled, a gentle and warm smile. "I'm Cristian, what's your name?"

"Sarah." The woman cleared her throat when she noticed how rough her voice was.  
  
"It's very nice to meet you, Sarah. Are you alright?"

"Not really." She said truthfully and straightened her dress.

"Is there anything I can do for you? Get you some water or food, or a place to stay?"

Sarah smiled up at him, since he was tall even as he was sitting down. "Don't worry, I'm sorry if I interrupted you or bothered you any other way."

"Don't be silly. I live in the forest, would you like to have a some fruit and some tea? I have delicious peaches growing near my house. It's a pity to have them wither since I can't eat them all by myself." Sarah felt her heart clench as she heard about the peaches. It was pathetic how she was already relating everything to Jareth.

Suddenly he crawled back a bit and then blinked in confusion. "You… You look familiar…" His expression turned a bit angry and he narrowed his eyes. "You're Linda's?" Cristian took her hands. "My lost sister!" He looked her up and down, excited. The man embraced her but pulled back suddenly. "Wait – what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing – your mother is heartbroken because you left her. She thinks it's what she deserves after she left her first child." Sarah said with one raised eyebrow.

"Okay… so you know I ran away… It would be only fair for you to tell me why _you're_ here." Cristian murmured slightly embarrassed.

Sarah looked down to her hands which lie limply on her lap. "Well… I don't know if you know the Goblin King…"

"Of course I know him! Everybody knows him."

"Well… he has been cursed and I'm here to find out how to lift it."

"I don't see the connection."

"Um – we're dating." Cristian still looked clueless so she tried again. "We're together…" Sarah sighed as he still looked completely clueless. "We love each other, okay?" She called out.

"I want to help. It's the least I can do for my sibling. What can I do?"

"I don't think there's much to do. We came here from the Goblin Kingdom to visit the Web of Dreams, we'll leave after that."

"The Web of Dreams? I heard it's beautiful – and I love spiders."

"Well I guess I could use a hand at the Web of Dreams, if you like. All help is welcome." Cristian's face lit up with excitement. "But I want you to go back to Linda – she's terribly worried… Why did you leave anyway?"

Cristian pressed his lips together. "My father dispises me. He never liked me. Pulled me away from Linda whenever I even just looked at her, punished me for the smallest of mistakes and injured me several times during swordfighting classes." He pulled his shirt down a bit and showed a small moonshaped scar on his breastbone. "There's more, but I actually find this one a kind of pretty." He let go of his shirt and looked at Sarah. "I don't want to return – what if my father will hurt me again?"

Sarah bit her lip and looked down. Linda would be delighted if he'd return but she didn't want to cause a fight. "Could you at least try? If he hurts you again I won't keep you from leaving."

Cristian looked at her, then nodded silently. "You really look an awefull lot like Linda you know?"

The woman giggled and hugged him. "You have no idea how good it feels to know I have a brother like you." She looked up at the sky which was almost black now. "Maybe I should go back, they will worry about me. We'll probably leave tomorrow early in the morning – when will you come to the castle?"

"Please wait here for half an hour – I'll get some of my stuff and I'll go with you tonight – okay?"

"Why can't I come with you?" Sarah asked.

"I don't want you to know where I live… You know – you could find me if I'd have to leave again…" 

"Okay. I'll see you in half an hour, then."

"Please be careful here, there are lots of animals you don't know about that roam through the forest at night. I'll be back as fast as I can." He rose and walked into the forest.

Sarah sighed deeply and looked around. On her left she saw the light from the castle, on her other side there were only woods. She could only see the first line of trees, everything behind that looked like a black endless hole. The sky was black too, thousants of stars winking at her while a silver half full moon was illuminating the grass with blue light. In a few days they would be able to get into the Hidden Library. It felt like years and it didn't make any sense at all that a library would be able to tell when the moon was full. Oh well, they could go into that library, take the books they would need and they would be able to read any time.

Somehow that didn't sound all too convincing in her head.

The woman jumped when she heard a twig snap not too far away. She kept small and search for any threat. She had no idea how long it had been since Cristian left – she had lost track of time while looking around and thinking about the library. But she was certain it hadn't been half an hour yet.

There was a soft rustling on her right and she peered into the darkness. As she expected there was nothing to see but black. For a few seconds she kept a close watch on her right side, her eyes only flashing around very rarely. Another rustling disturbed the night's silence and her eyes shot back to the place she had heard it the first time too.

This time a white snout appeared from out of the shadows, a white nose with big nosetrils and a wide mouth. It sniffed the air, the nose titling to the left and to the right. She heard a soft neigh carrying on the wind and the nose moved forward, revealing a white face with big black eyes and a shining horn.

Sarah's heart sped up at the sight of the mystical creature.

The unicorn took another step forward, its white ears turning on his head, examening the smallest of sounds. With utter care and grace it took two more steps out of the forest, long white legs and a muscled torso seeming to light up in the moonlight. Its silken mane waved in the wind and it lifted its tail while taking three more steps into the valley. Its silver hoofs lifted high up, flashing in the night's light. It stopped, Sarah thinking it heard her, but the unicorn relaxed, looked back into the blackness and whinnied softly, a call as gentle and musical as a bird's song.

Sarah smiled when she saw a unicorn foal walking out of the forest with some sort of funny skip in its step, it looked around carefully and looked up at its mother. When the bigger unicorn nudged him it shook with its small head and took off to run through the long grass and wild flowers. The woman almost giggled at the weird uncontrolled jumps that the foal made but wasn't sure if unicorns were kind creatures. She looked the foal run around and at the adult creature that was now grazing lazily. Her eyes studied its long muscles, its soft mane and its impressive horn.

While being too caught up in her study she had forgotten about the foal and she froze as two hooves suddenly appeared right in front of her. She looked up, meeting two big, black, curious eyes. Sarah gasped, crawling back while her eyes kept locked with the foal's.

The woman felt the blood drain from her face when she bumped into two long legs. Her eyes directed up and the unicorn snorted, sounding upset. It reared up, taking two steps back and Sarah whirled around as fast as she could, seeing two big hooves wink at her in the moonlight before they came down at her. 


	31. *Chapter 31

Sarah watched the hooves come down at her like it happened in slow motion. She pressed her eyes shut tightly, wrapping her arms around her head and preparing herself to get her skull cracked like an egg shell. She heard the loud thunder of the hooves coming to a halt but noted she was still wide awake and her face still in one part. Her heart racing with fear she very slowly opened the eyes and found herself between the unicorn's front legs. The creature leaned forward, eyes looking her over. After that it looked up to the foal that whinnied curiously to the girl, and stepped away from her.

Sarah kept laying very still, her eyes flashing from the older unicorn to the foal.

Suddenly there was a loud snap and the unicorns jumped. They reared up and ran away quickly.

The woman looked around and let out a relieved sigh when she saw Cristian stepping out of the woods. He looked upset and he walked over to her quickly. "Do you have any idea how dangerous unicorns are? You've got a lot to learn about the Underground, don't you?" 

Sarah acctepted his hand and straightened her dress. He headed for the castle as if nothing happened, which confused her slightly

"What are you taking with you?"

"Stuff." Cristian said while still looking forward. Sarah looked forward awkwardly.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah hadn't joined the reunion, instead she had gone to her guestroom to take a long bath. It had been difficoult to shake off her father, mother and Lucio after she had left them so emotionally, though when she had told them this would only do her good they had let her go reculantly.

After soaking until the water got cold she step out, dried herself off and dressed in a simple gown.

She put on some comfortable slippers and left her room. A few servants offered her something to eat or drink, but Sarah refused kindly. After ten minutes or so she stepped out into the warm evening air and strolled through the gardens.

As she heard her father and mother talk she stopped and peered around the corner.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Robert smiled as Linda leaned against the wall while toying with a flower she had just picked from the garden. "I've really missed you, you know? Ever since the first day I left you never to see you again I felt so empty. I missed the picnics and the spontaneous trips to a faraway land. I never wanted to travel again after I left. I missed the way you always ran up or down the stairs and almost tripped – everyone walks so slowly here." She looked up at him with sorrow in her eyes and twirled the flower between her fingers nervously. "Please, tell me something about Sarah. What kind of foods does she like, what are her hobbies and when did she became a woman?"

Robert took the flower from her fingers as he noticed the nervous movements of it and placed it in her hair. "Sarah has been wonderful. She eats almost everything – apart from lasagne, she had always detested that. She used to love to act out fantasy tales in the park and dress up like a princess. She's very kind and very creative." He sighed softly and then chuckled sadly. "And about that last question, you should ask yourself. She's been so very independent even since her eighth birthday. She cooked for herself, cleaned, and washed her clothes, always made her homework, did chores withouta complaint. She often sneaked out of the house to go to the park to feed the swans and play."

"We always fed the swans too. Did she have someone to do it with?"

"Sarah's always been alone since her eigteenth and had about two boyfriends before she started dating Jareth."

"We should be very grateful to Jareth, I'd have never seen you again if those two hadn't fallen in love with each other."

Robert nodded. "You should have seen how he looked at her. I had visited them some time ago, he cooked for her and the way he looked at her…"

"Like a starved man?" She grinned up at him.

  
"As if he was going to eat her alive... I didn't like it one bit." He laughed and Linda laughed with him.

The woman's laughter died down and she smiled up at him fondly. "Kiss me, Robert."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah backed away and almost squealed in excitement. She quickly left before she'd do just that. As she reached the castle she halted, seeing Jespar leaning over his son, Cristian, threateningly. Jespar had heard her coming and turned to face her. His face changed from vicious to calm and he greeted her with a small bow. "Miss Williams, can I help you?"

Sarah shook her head swiftly and looked at Cristian. His face was also shielded behind a mask of indifference and she left quickly.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The following day, after an awkward breakfast, Sarah was heading for the nearby market with a chaperone. Her mother had given her some money to buy herself something.

Talking about her mother – she had almost glowed this morning and she bet it had something to do with her father since he seemed just as radiant. She had just pretended she hadn't seen the hickey on her father's collarbone, only visible when he lifted his arm the right way. It had almost made her giggle.

Sarah snapped out of her train of thoughts as she noticed her chaperone fighting off some people of the press. Her eyes darted around to the pushing people, calling out questions to her.

"Miss! Is it true you are the queen's first child?"

"Miss Sarah, where is your father?"

"Do you have a comment on-"

"May I-"

"Is it true that-"

She shot one of the people a glare and he backed away slightly. "Would you just leave me the hell alone?"

"Ma'am, is it true that the lost prince is back?"

"Get lost with your questions, I'm not going to give you any answers!" As soon as she said that she quickened her stroll to a faster pace and blocked out every individual that approached her

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

That very same afternoon they traveled to the Caverns of Lost Faces. Jespar had stayed home, but Linda, Cristian, Robert and Lucio came with her. Lucio was driving the carriage, Linda was sitting besides her and her father and Cristian sat on the other bench.

Sarah was fiddling with the dress she wore, Linda was making a few small braids in her hair and Robert was smiling at the scene. Cristian's eyes were fixed on everything that moved in the small space, his fingers tapping besides his leg. In about half an hour they would arrive at the caverns where they probably would be all night. Solving ten riddles of a spider to be able to read the dewdrops in its web.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah dreaded to go into the big mouth of the cave in front of her. She watched how Cristian lit a torch and waited until they'd be ready to go in. She inhaled deeply, thought of Jareth, and headed into the cave.


	32. *Chapter 32

Sarah walked slowly, her face set in a frown and her arms crossed. Robert and Lucio were prattling about which way to go like two little boys arguing whether to play hide and seek or climb trees. Linda giggled at the scene but after fifteen minutes Sarah had quite enough. She stomped her foot, passed the two men, snatching the torch from Robert's hand and taking the right path. They fell silent and watched Sarah making her own way. Lucio sputtered as Robert looked at him with a cocky expression, his face clearly displaying 'I told you so'. Lucio stuck out his tongue and walked after Sarah along with Cristian. Linda blew a kiss to the pouting Robert and almost skipped after the other two adults.

For a few minutes Sarah walked with her head held high but she jumped as she suddenly heard a loud scream. Cristian seemed to get excited and Sarah looked into the darkness nervously. "Everyone okay?" She asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly. Robert lay a hand on her shoulder, and then walked forward with her. A chill went down Sarah's spine as she held up the torch and six colourful eyes lit up. She felt the urge to scream and run, instead she let out a slow breath and checked if everyone was behind her. The woman looked back up and cleared her throat.

The spider moved forward, its head as big as a car and its long legs appearing from the dark. As it's body moved, a limb as big as a building appeared. The cobwebs around them lit up and illuminated the room. A sound of popping bones rang through Sarah's ears and one of her hands searched for contact with her father. Robert squeezed her hand tightly and inhaled deeply.

"U-um…" Sarah stuttered but the spider interuppted her.

"I assume you came to make use of my web?" The voice was that of a woman, and it carried on the wind like a whisper.

"Yes, um…" Sarah tried really hard to find a name she could call the huge arthropod.

"Tritinia. Tell me, human, why do you think you have the right touch time and look in its youth?"

Sarah took a few steps forward to show the spider she really was determined. "My name is Sarah Williams. I have come to look into the past to unveil the prepetrator that gave my loved one a curse." She sounded pretty confident.

"Ah, the old tragic of a lovelife's virus. You know how we deal with our partners? We don't. We kill them." There was a fond purr in the voice that made Sarah's slightly nauseous. "However, I assume mortals have their own ways of showing love. I see you have been taught by not only mortals – but by immortal as well. And not just one at that."

Sarah blushed and frowned slightly. "If you mean that I cheated on him -" She started just a little bit to harshly.

"Oh no, dear. It's not like that. My, we have quite a crowd here, haven't we? I see you brought some family. Your mother and father… and, an uncle and nephew, perhaps?"

"This is my mother, Linda, my father Robert, my uncle Lucio and my stepbrother Cristian."

"Scared to come by yourself, are you?"

"No, it isn't like that, Tritinia. I came with my family simply for support."

"I see. Well, tell me about your partner." The spider lowered it's body, settling, expecting a long story.

"His name is Jareth, king of the goblins. I solved his Labyrinth years ago and met him again a few years later. He was dropped into my world, in the Above and I took him in."

"And you want to look into the past to know what or who sent him there?"

"No, I came to find out who had cursed him. In the Above, he could survive - that's not the case now."

"Well, as I said – spi-"

"With all due respect, Tritinia, I have to be back at the goblin kingdom in less than three days, I really need to spend all my available time with great care. Please, could you give me the riddles my unkle told about?"

Tritinia seemed a little bit ticked off, but she relaxed and moved slightly closer. "Very well. However, your uncle mustn't have informed you sufficiently. It is not just riddles you have to solve, you also have to get me my favourite dish."

Sarah rubbed her forehead. "Well, could I send someone of my family to do it?"

"I'm afraid not, mortal. One must solve the riddles and fulfil the quest if he or she wants to look upon the dewdrops of time. That's why I queried why you brought along your family. If you want them to look at the past as well they must do the same. Do you still wish to do it yourself or would you rather choose someone else?"

Robert's hand rested on Sarah's shoulder and he leaned close. "Sarah, I will gladly do it for you."

"No, this is my quest. I want to finish this for Jareth." She stepped closer to the gigantic spider and held her chin high. "I, Sarah Williams, and me alone wish to solve your riddles and bring you what you want."

The spider almost seemed to grin by the way it's huge fangs moved. "Very well, during the riddles you may never receive any form of help from your family. If you ask you have failed and you'll be sacrificed for cheating, if they will make any effort to help you, they will be smothered the same way." The spider eyed the three men and the woman and then lie down. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I can be."

[AN: Cool to do yourself: Try to solve the riddles before Sarah does - and remember, no reading ahead!]

"Then let's start easily. What is as big as you are and yet does not weigh a thing?"

Sarah firstly thought about things that were as big as her. A pile of feathers, but that wasn't one thing. Other things were either smaller or heavier. Sarah looked down and saw the light of the torch move on the ground. Then she got it. "My shadow!"

"Correct. Riddle two – when you have me, you feel like sharing me. But if you _do_ share me, you don't have me. What am I?"

"A secret."

"That didn't seem to take you much effort." The spider said with a hint of amusement. "At night they come without being fetched and by day they are lost without being stolen."

At first she thought about a dream, but they didn't really get fetched. The moon wasn't a they. "The stars."

"Correct. What is so fragile even saying its name can break it?"

The woman frowned slightly and thought about the most fragile things she knew. Dead leaves, snow, but all of those couldn't be broken by just saying it, it had to be something that was intangible. Feelings were intangible but couldn't break by saying it's name. Dust interrupted her thoughts and crept into her nose. Sarah wriggled her nose and sneezed, jumping as the spider jumped back.

"Bless you, noisy human." The spider said with a soft chuckle.

Noisy? It might be something related to that. Silence. Silence could be broken by just saying it's name. "It's silence."

"Very good, let's move on to the fifth. Listen carefully. Six glasses are in a row, the first three are full of water, the second three are empty. By moving just one glass, they must be arranged that empty and full alternate. How do I do this?"

Sarah sat down onto the ground and leaned her head on the arm that rested on her leg. She pictured six glasses of water in front of her in a row, three filled with water, the other three empty. If she would move the second she had made her move and she would have no other move left, then she would end up with two full glasses, three empty ones and one full one. She had to move the second and the fourth to do it right. Then it popped into her mind. The spider hadn't said anything about pouring water into another glass. "They alternate when I pour the water from the second glass to the fourth."

The spider kept silent for a second and then nodded. "Well done, and now, the sixth. It's greater than God, more evil that the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you'll die. What am I speaking of?"

Sarah first started thinking about what poor people had and rich people needed. Rich people often had everything and poor people had nothing. It snapped in place almost immediately. Poor people had nothing, rich people need nothing and if you would eat nothing you'd die. She hoped all of these riddles were this easy. "It's nothing."

"Correct. I never was, am always to be, no one ever saw me, nor never will. Yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?"

Robert watched Sarah's back and the spider. He prayed Sarah would remember this one, he had always used this riddle to calm her down when she was upset. To get her mind off of what was bothering her. He smiled as she suddenly seemed to remember it. "The future!"

"Correct, the eighth. Mountains will crumble and temples will fall and no man can survive its endless call. What is it?"

Linda smiled fondly as she heard that one. When being the woman loving the master of time Sarah must know that one instantly. Her confident smile, however, faltered as Sarah seemed to take a while for that. She knew talking in riddles in the Above wasn't very common, but certainly she'd know this one? She let out a relieved sigh when Sarah stated that it was time and smiled proudly.

Lucio was smiling at the fact Sarah was able to solve those riddles so swiftly but the next one was harder than he expected. "The beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end and the end of place. What is it?" He was quite curious and started thinking about it as well. From the corner of his eye he saw Cristian lounging a little bit leisurely against the wall and vaguely he wondered why he wasn't even a little bit curious or concerned. The whole group seemed to release a breath as Sarah told the spider it was the letter 'e' and the spider agreed. He had managed to underestimate Sarah, that was quite something. On the other hand, Jareth didn't fall in love with any girl.

As Trinitia reached the last riddle in what seemed a record time she wondered if those riddles were getting too easy and she thought about a tougher one. "I turn polar bears white and I will make you cry. I make guys have to pee and girls comb their hair. I make celebrities look stupid and normal people look like celebrities. I turn pancakes brown and make your champagne bubble. If you squeeze me, I'll pop. If you look at me, you'll pop. What am I?" For a long time she was quite cocky that the girl would give up – but after about fifteen minutes the mortal gave the right answer.

"Pressure!"

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah looked with big eyes to the blackness in front of her. Behind her was the huge spider, looking into the darkness. "Deep inside the hallways live blue fireflies. Fiftythree to be exact. I want you to find the three fireflies that light up white when you kiss them. But beware, they are not of average scale, they can't bite but they can kick. There are no lights and it's a real maze down there. It may take a few hours. That is all the information I can give you. Good luck, and remember, if you want to give up, call my name and I'll make sure you get back here." 


	33. *Chapter 33

All Sarah's senses were at their sharpest. The sound of her heels clicking in the silence, and the sound of her dress's fabric brushing against her legs seemed to make an unusually loud noise. She was pretty much sure her shoes were ruined by now because of the dirt that got kicked up. Her hands reached carefully into nothingness. Sarah had taken the ribbon from her dress that used to be around her waist and used it as blindfold. She could better navigate if her eyes were completely disabled since her other senses would get sharper. Now she could hear a distant flutter reflect against the walls and she pricked her ears to hear where it was coming from.

Suddenly the sound of wings came from two sides and left Sarah confused. She wanted to take her blindfold off but told herself to trust her senses. The woman inhaled deeply, concentrated on the sound and then decided to go left. The sound became stronger as she walked, the other pair of wings fading in the distance. Carefully she took off her blindfold and blinked against the strong blue light. After her eyes adjusted she watched how the big insect, about as big as a cat, was nibbling and pulling on the light brown wall. Sarah had to be careful not to scare it or make it angry. When the spider told her the fireflies could kick she assumed she didn't just mean a simple nudge. For a moment Sarah just stood still and watched the bug.

It's body was flat, black with blue stripes and long legs. It's scaled segments lit up the incredibly dark place and it's antennas were touching the wall like a blind man reading braille.

Sarah accidentally nudged a pebble on the floor as she neared and the animal turned its head, its large eyes staring at her blindly. Sarah gasped. She had seen fireflies earlier and their eyes weren't supposed to be milky white. She stepped closer but it jumped. The firefly froze, its antenna's stopping their touching movement. Sarah neared again and this time the bug kept in it's place. When the bug didn't move she leaned forward and closed her eyes tightly. This was absolutely gross. She put the smallest kiss on the wing covers.

A wave of excitement washed over her as the bug's segments lit up white. The firefly pushed itself from the wall and went to sit on her shoulder. Sarah was a little bit frightened at first but relaxed as she noticed it just sat there, frozen.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Robert was playing tic tac toe with Lucio, digging circles and crosses in the dirt on the dirt ground. Most of the cave's surface was filled with games of tic tac toe and both were still driven to win from the other. The siblings were taking the game a bit too seriously and were thinking carefully before sticking their finger in the sand and drawing their symbol. Lucio made his last move proudly and cheered. "That makes fifty six out of seventy two, dear brother of mine."

"I want a revanche!" Robert called out and they moved to the next empty spot, starting another game. Lucio won the game. Robert growled and leaped at him and the two men ended up in a playful romp that let them get rid of their boredom.

Linda was talking politely to Tritinia, refusing to sit down in fear her dress would get dirty. As she started talking about her family – her ex-boyfriend, her daughter, her husband and her son she looked around. "I wonder where Cristian is though." She turned to Robert and Lucio and called out, getting their attention after a few times of crying out their names. "Did you see where Cristian went?"

Lucio climbed off of Robert and started to look around. "Now that you mention it, no, I haven't seen him for a while." His brother got up and looked around as well.

"Cristian?"

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah ran as fast as she could with her heels on, a large group of fireflies coming after her. The two white ones she had already collected clawing on her shirt, almost falling off. After rounding a few corners she had finally managed to get rid of the other fireflies and she sat down, trying to catch her breath. "Really guys, Jareth owes me so much he won't be able to make it up to me even in his lifetime. I've kissed around thirty fireflies – do you guys even know what you taste like? Also, my dress is ruined. I'll have to soak for days to get this dirt off." The woman rubbed her face and raked her hands through her hair. With a deep sigh she crawled back up, checked if the white fireflies were still there and continued strolling through the hallways to find the other white firefly.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Robert shrugged and sat down on the ground again. "Cristian has been living alone for years – now that he's suddenly among the others he must have needed a moment for himself. I can't blame him."

"What if he went after Sarah?" Linda asked with a gasp and turned to the black hole Sarah had disappeared in.

Tritinia tilted her head and lifted one lew to the wall. For a few seconds she was silent, then she shook her head. "No, he's not there. Sarah is coming back this way though. She found all of the three white fireflies. They're leading her back to us and should be here in a few minutes."

Linda squealed, excited and clasped her hands together.

About four minutes later Sarah emerged from the dark and blinked against the light of the fire. After spending a few hours in the dark every bit of light was received in ten fold to her eyes. She rubbed her eyes as if she just woke up and then looked at Tritinia. She took the three fireflies from her back and held them out to the spider. "Tritinia, I have found what you needed."

Robert scowled as he noticed what Sarah looked like. Her graceful dress was now a dark shade of brown, parts torn and the bow around her waist gone. Her skin seemed a bit sore and had many smears of mud and dirt on her legs, arms, neck and face. Her hair was tangled in what would take a long while to straighten out and it was obvious that she was truly exhausted. He supressed the urge to hurry over to her since Sarah was obviously being serious about this case.

The spider sighed, pleased and the fireflies flew towards her back. "Thank you, these three fireflies always help me to bring my offspring into safety. Now that you have finished the quest and solved my questions, I'll allow you to look into the web of dreams." Sarah's face lightened up, excited. "However – you'll have to wait an hour or three until the dewdrops reach my webs. I am a good host to those who are clever enough to solve my riddles and fetch my helpers, so meanwhile you can eat of the food I offer and sleep in the bed that is installed here for people like you. But I fear I can only offer this luxury to you, Sarah Williams."

"Oh that's fine, I was doing all the work after all." Sarah looked back at the two men and the woman and they chuckled.

Sarah curled up on the bed, exhausted. She forced herself not to fall asleep, afraid she might not wake up easily. The meal she just had didn't provide her with any new energy.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Meanwhile Robert was sitting against the wall of the cave, arms and ankles crossed, his fingers tapping an impatient rhythm against his arm. The spider had left for a moment and the man was worrying whether his daughter was alright or not. Linda saw this and tried to calm him down with her cheerful mood. "Don't worry, Robert. After all that has happened, Tritinia would make sure she's safe."

"How do you know that? My daughter is in another world, in the humble abode of a gigantic spider – how could I _not_ be worried? She's my daughter!"

She lay her hand on his and smiled. "And mine, Robert. Tritinia isn't some kind of monster, you had hours to see that. She may be a little rude and thickskinned sometimes but it's nothing to be worried about." Linda stretched. "I do hope it won't take very long anymore. I'm getting really tired. How long have we been here now – twelve hours? Maybe thirteen..."

Robert chuckled and held out his arm. "You can sleep on my lap if you like, that way your dress won't get dirty." Linda giggled and sat on his lap as he sat down, curling up comfortably and Robert wrapped his arms around her. 

Lucio shook his head with a little smile and wagged his finger at him. "You _do_ know she's married and has a child with her husband?"

"It's a forced marriage, she has been taken from me. That doesn't count." A smile strechted over his lips and he lay his head on hers, closing his eyes.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah was laying face down in the bed Tritinia had offered her. Her arms were stretched out before her and her legs were swinging in the air. The woman kept mumbling to herself to stay awake, that she would find the man that had ruffled her feathers by harming Jareth –

\- and that she really needed a bath.

She rolled over in irritation and yelped as she fell off the bed.

At that moment Tritinia stepped in and chuckled. "My – if you'd rather rest on the ground you could have stayed with your family."

Sarah sat up with a frown. "I fell off."

"The dewdrops are now resting upon my web, you will be able to get the information you struggled for. But remember, only you can look into it and use its information. Let's go." Sarah rose, nodding and swayed slightly. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just so tired." She held out her hand. "Please, lead the way."

The spider nodded and crawled through the cave, sometimes just barely fitting through, and Sarah followed quietly. She saw a quick flash of the cave and waved to Lucio whom gave her a worried glance. Tritinia stopped at a small door, one she would never fit through, and looked at the woman. "This is where you'll find the past."

Sarah stepped in and looked around in awe. The room itself was just a hole, with rounded stone walls, but the webs that were lined across the room were glowing brightly, throwing soft blue light on the brown, rough surroundings. "How do I use it?" Sarah asked carefully as she stepped into the room.

"Look at every dew drop once – just once – and pick the one that feels right to you. When you find it, cup it with both of your hands and stare into its depths." Tritinia lowered herself slightly, looking Sarah straight into the eyes. "When you are fully concentrated, don't be scared or surprised when an element of your past will appear to you." Sarah rolled her eyes. She might be really tired – but she wasn't disillusional. "Well, good luck Sarah, we'll be close so give us a call when you're ready."

"Thank you, Tritinia. Even though it was tricky, I did enjoy it." She smiled sadly. "By now I had quite much need for some positive energy."

"You are very welcome Sarah." Tritinia left quietly and Sarha walked into the room.


	34. *Chapter 34

Sarah's eyes slid over the collection of dewdrops and she looked at them critically. At first she had thought they would look exactly the same, but actually all had their own shape and texture. She saw a smooth orb, the same size as the crystals of Jareth. However, she got no special feeling when seeing it so she passed it and went on to the next.

For about half an hour Sarah had been looking at dewdrops and she was getting rather annoyed. She had been seeing more than a hundred by now and no single dewdrop was 'interesting'.

Suddenly one in the back caught her eye and she headed over to it. She slightly winced as she accidentally brushed a few others off their webs. One that had perched higher up in the room hit her in the eye and she growled, rubbing her eye. As she reached the drop she sat down on her knees and looked at it. A red shimmer winked at her as if it invited her and the woman held up her hands, scowling as she saw how dirty they were. She held them under the drop, folded, and held the drop in her hand. She looked at it, finding it difficould to concentrate anymore since she was so tired. Sarah closed her eyes and felt the drop on her hand getting colder. The temperature lowered until it seemed like it was reaching her bones. Little stings followed, crawling up her arms, to her shoulders, along her neck where it seemed to crawl under the back of her skull, into her brain. Sarah cried out, her eyes flying open and visions filling her mind.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Robert jumped as he heard Sarah crying out, Linda woke up, dazed. He lifted her up to a standing position and jumped up, ready to rush to the noise. A spidery leg held him back easily but Robert struggled. "Let go! My girl is in danger!"

Tritinia pulled him back to the woman that looked a bit confused and went to stand between him and the cave that led to her. "No, this is a good sign. Sarah found the crystal that holds the past she is looking for. The drop's cry has a high pitch the human or Fae alike can't hear, which tells me she isn't in any danger. It's a powerful thing, putting a memory into someone's brain, human or not." For a few seconds Robert looked at her, not trusting it. Then he sighed and let out a deep breath. "You're awefully possesive of your daughter, aren't you?"

"You have no idea how much effort it took me to let her go when she had a date or she 'left the nest', as they put it."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The pain ebbed away and her head cleared. As she opened her eyes her head swayed. Sarah blinked a few times and then concentrated on what had happened.

The woman saw herself singing on stage at first, then the vision shifted, travelling through the event to the borders of it. She recognised an alley it took her into and she saw Jareth walking into it. His face was hidden in shadows, rain drizzling down on him. He stopped and snarled. In a fit of rage he threw a punch at the wall, creating a dent in it. "Way to go." The man growled to himself and looked up to the sky, his face coming out of the shadows and small drops of moisture falling on his face. The Goblin King sighed and ruffled through his hair, leaning onto a wall and closing his eyes. For a few seconds Jareth held still, looking up to the sky, blinking against the rain that fell on his face. He looked down, pulling his gloves off his hands and studying his bare hands. When he traced one fingertip over the lines of his palm there was a very, very faint brush of magic. The Goblin King growled. "What is she afraid for? My magic? My power? If I'd just abnegate my magic and dethrone myself…" He fubled with his slightly slippery gloves and when he had them back on he pushed himself from the wall to continue his stroll through the neighborhood.

Jareth walked baxk into the alley when suddenly a shadow neared behind him, hit him in the back of the head and watched him falling to the floor. The shadow rolled the Fae over and looked into his face, his green eyes burning and his white teeth gleaming in the light. Red curly hair was swept away by a pale hand, revealing a slightly rounded face and freckles.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah screamed, backing away and tripping over a few webs. Her head hit the stone and she was covered in dewdrops once again. She turned on her belly, not caring that her dress would get even dirtier. She scrambled up to her feet and ran as fast as she could through the cave, towards her family and Tritinia. "Daddy, Lucio, Linda! I know who did it – it was Cr-" A hand slapped over her mouth roughly, an arm wrapping around her waist. Sarah tried to yell but the hand pressed closer against her mouth.

"No, no. No need to worry your pretty little head, dear sister! Or I might want to hurt it." His voice was still the calming, sweet murmur but this time it terrified her. She bit his hand harshly and he pulled it back, snarling. "Ow! You bitch!"

"Daddy!" Sarah called out, as hard as she could.

Cristian tightened his hands around her neck, Sarah choking and gasping for air.

After a few seconds her vision started to swim, her knees gave out, cutting off her air even more. Sarah's eyes rolled back and her struggles grew faint. The woman felt herself getting pulled into darkness more and more, Cristian chuckling softly.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Robert jumped at Sarah's call to him. All his fatherly instinct flooding to the surface in full force, overwhelming not only him, but everyone around him seemed to feel it. "Princess!" He cried out and sprinted towards the call for help.

He came to a sliding halt as he saw Cristian, holding Sarah in his claws. The view of her chocking made something in his head snap. He let out a primal scream and lunged for the man. Cristian's surprise caused him to drop Sarah and was thrown to the floor. The man on top of him was beyond livid. Punches were thrown against his jaw faster than he could feel the pain. He struggled to get the older man off him but the flashes in his eyes scared him and he just held his arms in front of him, trying to avoid as much punches as possible.

As the man on top of him was pulled away Cristian tried to jump up and get away but two arms wound around his own and caught him in a lock. Cristian struggled and finally got loose. He leaped forward, stumbling as he tried to flee.

He bumped into a furious looking Tritinia. Crisitan pulled his dagger and lashed out at her. The spider attacked him but he could jump away just in time. For a few minutes it was a struggle of jumping and striking. Sarah, whom was still out of breath, cried out in panic as his dagger drove into the spider's head and the spider snapped at him, missing in blind panic. A cry high pitched enough to hurt their ears rang through the cave, the spider shuddered and then fell to the ground. Both Lucio and Robert dove for Cristian. The boy struggled, throwing Lucio off and slicing in all directions in order to protect himself. Cristian heard a cry and looked forward, seeing his dagger buried between Robert's ribs.

Lucio's eyes almost lit up red. He growled and punched Cristian in his face hard enough to have him instantly unconscious.

Sarah had tears streaming down her cheeks freely, yelling in blind panic and running to her father, diving to the ground. She held his pain-contorted face between her hands and called him over and over. Lucio knelt down on the other side of him and looked at the dagger in his chest. "It hasn't hit any vital orgins. But needless to say, we have to get it out." Lucio looked to the face of his brother. "Robert, brace yourself, I'm going to get that dagger out." The Fae wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled it out with a big swing. Robert screamed in agony and blood gushed out of his wound. "Sarah, go and see if Tritinia is alright."

"But-!"

"Do as I say!" Lucio growled and started to bind his brother's wound.

Sarah was slightly frightened by his command and she hurried to the injured spider. She ripped a part from her dress and held it to the wound on the spider's head. Tritinia chuckled softly, weakly. "Sarah, why are there fences around cemeteries?"

The woman tried to restrain herself, doing her best not to hyperventilate. "Don't give me such a strange riddle! Keep still, we'll fix it."

The spider shook its head slowly and stretched its long legs, not really succeeding since the cave was not broad enough. "No Sarah, my time has come. It was destiny."

"No, you can't let someone predict when you're going to die! This is in your own power!" The woman tried desperately to lift the spider up as she held the piece of her dress on its wound.

"I've lived… For a long time, Sarah… Sixtythousant years. You are unlike… anyone else that has been here… my blood saves lives. Your father received some as… he got injured. Take mine, as much as you can… inject it with a syringe… it will keep your loved one stable. It will not cure him fully, though. Save your partner, Sarah."

"What? N-!"

"It's my last wish, Sarah." Tritinia's eyes got cloudy and blood dripped down between her eyes. "Now tell me… Why are there fences around… cemeteries?"

Sarah chuckled sadly. "Because people are dying to get in?" She choked out.

Tritinia chuckled. "Very good." Her eyes dimmed and her body sagged to the floor completely . The woman cried and let go of the piece of her dress. She saw that Lucio had managed to stop her father's wound from bleeding, for now. 

"Lucio, can you get me a bucket or something?" Lucio blinked in confusion but he snapped his fingers and made a long bucket appear in front of her. "Thanks." Sarah placed the bucket by Tritinia's head and wrang out the piece of cloth.

"Linda, please bring Robert to the carriage and make it ready to leave." Lucio said softly. He dragged Cristian's unconscious body to the spider where he could keep an eye on it. He watched Sarah transfer the blood with a disgusted face. "Sarah – this isn't the time to keep some kind of ritual – women aren't supposed to dirty their hands like that, let me do it."

"No no, it's fine. I want to do this. Make sure Cristian is tied up well."

For a few minutes Sarah was filling the bucket with the spider's blood and Lucio was tying Cristian up tightly. Lucio went to to the carriage and soon Sarah joined her family. Cristian was bound to one of the horses tightly, Robert and Linda sat inside and Sarah sat down besides Lucio. Sarah felt like she could drop dead any moment, she had never been this tired.


	35. *Chapter 35

Sarah woke from commotion outside her door. She heard goblin voices shouting but her mind had a hard time filtering the noise into words. The woman rolled over, rubbing her eye which was stinging quite uncomfortably. Slowly the few things she had experienced the day before came flooding back. Just after she had gone to bed she had visited Jareth. She had given him some of Tritinia's blood and had cried as soon as she was done. She rolled back onto her back and felt new tears welling up. He had looked so fragile, like he was made out of porcelain.

Suddenly a large mass off goblins poured into her room and started shouting. In a matter of seconds Sarah had a splitting headache from all the shrill voices and she closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Shut up!" She called out once and felt another wave of a headache rock inside her head. The goblins had gone entirely silent at her command, looking a little bit frightened. "You." The woman pointed to one of the goblins in the crowd and instantly he shied away. "Tell me what's the matter."

The goblin suddenly puffed his chest. "Well, this morning when we were taking care of his majesty when we noticed some of his colour is coming back – but that's not all – his magic is reaching out for something. We thought you might know what it is."

Sarah nodded and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Wait outside, I'm going to get a quick shower and get dressed." The goblins just stared blankly at her. "Well, get out!" She hissed and the goblins shuffled out of the room so fast that some got stuck. With a roll of her eyes Sarah rose and hurried to the bathroom.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Cristian looked up at Lucio, growled and tried to attack him. The shackles on his arms and legs didn't allow him to and he was yanked back, bumping his head rather painfully against one of the rocks of the oubliette. "My – such a temper." Lucio said with a sharp smile. Cristian narrowed his eyes and pulled on his retrains uselessly. "Now then, do tell me, are you operating by yourself?" Cristian spit in his direction, and even though it didn't reach much further than a foot in front of himself, he received a whiplash across the cheek. "Spare the small amount of dignity you have left, Cristian." His fingers traced the length of the whip he held and a dangerous glint flashed through his eyes. "This is a lovely whip – isn't it? It would be a shame to have to replace it with something with more... creative."

Cristian sniffed mockingly. "You're a doctor – you don't know how to torture."

Lucio smirked and tapped the whip in his palm. "Oh, I don't? What makes you think so? Jareth is an excellent teacher." He didn't miss the draining of colour in Cristian's face, and smiled pleasantly as he watched him swallow. "I see the cruelty that can come from the King's hand and his status as the teasing death hasn't escaped you. So, I'll ask you again… Do you operate by yourself or is there more to it than I already know?" Cristian winced at the man's purr. "And _do_ let me remind you that Jareth is a very close friend of mine, that his father-in-law is my brother and his future wife is my niece _and_ your half-sister." Cristian backed away as Lucio loomed over him but his lips kept sealed. Lucio looked over his shoulder and mentioned for someone to come forth. A big form melted from the shadows and raised a massive club to his shoulder. "Kepthi – I believe our prisoner suffers from memory loss. You've always been so very helpful – perhaps you could assist him trying to get his memory back." Kepthi – one of the tallest and beefiest goblins of the Underground, grinned and closed his hands tighter, almost lovingly, around his club.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah was sitting on the side of Jareth's bed, touching his cheek and feeling that it had somewhat warmed. He still was pretty much lifeless apart from his slow breathing. In silence she watched a goblin injecting some of Tritinia's blood and holding his finger to his wound. As she moved her hand to his she felt a flash of electricity shoot through her veins. Sarah yelped and pulled back her hand. The goblin removed his finger from the small wound and giggled. "I told you his magic was reaching out."

"Could it be a bad sign?"

The goblin cleaned up his stuff as he explained. "It may be. You see, most goblins are a little bit… wild. Things go wrong every second of the day. Sometimes it is dealt with by just saying a few words or getting rid of one or more objects – however we have the talent to really screw things up. They often require magic to be solved. Our king has lots of it – magic that is – he has been with you for a long while, hasn't he? On his vacation? You might have noticed he could get irritable or have moodswings, or be impatient at times. Sometimes without reason - or so it seems."

The first thing that Sarah thought of was the fight that got them in this mess. "Yeah, I've noticed it every now and then."

"Right. Well, with him being unconscious he can't get rid of this energy in any way. Normally he would get ill but due his medication, blocking his immune system almost completely, he is searching for other ways to get rid of it."

Sarah looked down at Jareth, his hands slightly tingling. "Okay, so how are we going to do this?"

The goblin sat down on a chair near the side of the bed patiently and smiled. "Like we did when he was just a babe. Well, since his mother had died many years ago… we should let his father calm him down."

"Is there any possibility Jareth might wake up any time soon? He _is_ getting stronger, right?"

"I wouldn't count on it, Lady." The goblin jumped off the chair and gathered his things. "First off, it would be to dangerous to wake him in the middle of this curse, secondly, he might get a heart attack because of the strong medication and third, this sleeping spell is casted in a way where Jareth won't wake before he is completely healed from the curse."

"And how long will that take?"

"Only time will tell, ma'am. It might take a day or two after the curse is lifted, or it might be two years. Don't get your hopes up, he hadn't been using magic in such a long time while being Aboveground, it will take him more time to get back his strength." The goblin looked into her eyes, his expression stern and fierce. "And to be honest, I think you should take his place while he's incapable of doing his duties himself. Or else the goblin kingdom might be backed into a corner, and you truly don't want to know how aggressive cornered goblins can get. Mark my words." Suddenly his face changed, his lips stretching in a wide smile. "It was a pleasure talking to you, ma'am. However, I really must go now. I'll summon his majesty's father right away. If we are lucky he may be able to be here tomorrow morning. Goodnight, miss." He bowed and scurried out of the room.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Sarah and Robert looked up to the two massive metal doors. Lucio was mouthing a quiet ancient spell while all the goblins that could read were preparing for the search. "Why doesn't it surprise me that there are only eight goblins out of a million that can read." Robert whispered to his daughter, who giggled as she looked at the small group.

She shrugged and smiled. "All help is welcome, I guess." She muttered softly so she wouldn't disturb Lucio.

The two heavy doors groaned loudly as they swung open to the inside. Lucio commanded a few goblins to light candles across the room. Sarah's nose wrinkled as she took in the foul air of dirt, dust and dehydration. She walked in, a few goblins keeping at her side. This morning, in a matter of minutes, the rumour had spread across the entire Labyrinth that she would take Jareth's place on the throne. Some goblins were happy but others needed some time to adapt. It was a relief, though, that the smartest goblins seemed to take her quite seriously and respected her. Of course they were still mischievous and no where near as respective towards her as they were towards Jareth, but she didn't blame them.

Her eyes took in the dimly lit room, the massive bookshelves pressed between plants, trees and stalagmites. A few bats flew away restlessly as the goblins shooed them away, rats crawled away between the books and spiders crawled back in dark corners.

"I never thought we had to make use of this library. Chills go up my spine as I think of the dark secrets that are hidden here between these parchments and books." Lucio said with sad eyes. He looked at her and smiled slightly. "But then again, I had never guessed he'd find a girl he wanted to spend immortality with."

Sarah wagged a finger at him. "Not true, unny. I'm mortal." Before Lucio could speak she clapped her hands. "Well, we have to go through a massive library and we need to find what we need before the moon descents or we'll have to wait another thirty days. Two goblins per bookcase, Lucio a bookcase, daddy one and I'll do one. Look fast but careful and go to the next shelf when you're ready." She commanded and handed each of them some post-its she had brought along. "Stick these to the places you've already been. One per row of a bookcase, you must also look behind the plants, trees and stalagmites." The next comment was only directed to the goblins. "Everything understood?"

One of the goblins raised his hand while jumping up and down. It reminded Sarah that even though they could read, they still had the pair of brains of a six year old. She mentioned him to speak, her face a mask of patience. "What's our motivation?"

"How about the fact that the life of the king rests on your shoulders?" She said with a sigh.

"Oh. Right."

"Well, let's start everyone." Determined, she walked to one of the bookcases and started her search.

Sarah's eyes flew over countless pages, her hands snatched one book after another, her painted fingernails ripped off post its frantically and her voice rang through the room every time as she took a book in a foreign language.

For hours in a row they were searching for anything that could help them, but the only things that came by were haunting spells, how to create monsters and several other things that made Sarah's skin crawl. But there was nothing that would give them any relevant information.

By the end of the night they were all tired and frustrated and Sarah felt tears threatening to fall. She looked around the dark place. Candles were silently blown out by the goblins as everyone was getting ready to leave. Lucio had obviously seen her torn expression and he silently took her hand, smiling. "Dearest Sarah, why the long face? It's a pity we didn't find it today, but we'll get another chance in a month. We have been through a huge part of this place in a single night – I'm certain of it that we will find what we're looking for next time." Lucio slightly jumped as Sarah hugged him tightly. He was feeling a bit strained with her arms squeezing him, and he gently patted her back to calm her down.

Sarah sniffled, needing to loose a bit of tension, and pressed her face against his shoulder. "I'm just so worried – every day that passes makes me lose hope – I can't stand waiting another month in anticipation… What if the information we need isn't even here? What if Cristian is our only hope?"

"Worry not, my dear. Cristian will speak and I can't imagine there wouldn't be a book about this. It has been done before, even with people of higher rank than Jareth, I'm sure. In fact, Jareth is the only heir to the High Throne." Sarah looked up at him in question and he smiled sadly. "The Underground is a very aggressive world – even more so than the world you live in. Nearly every eligible candidate has been murdered. I believe there are just two people left, and that would be Jareth and that miserable scum Cristian." He growled lowly. "Which explains Cristian's motives to harm Jareth."

"But, Cristian tried to kill me too, what for? I'm not even close to qualifying for any throne at all."

This time her uncle laughed heartily. "My dear, you have some self-esteem issues." Lucio linked their arms and started to leave the library. "Are you not the Labyrinth's Conqueror? It takes some talent and power, and not to forget a strong will, to make it through the Labyrinth in less than thirteen hours. You managed to solve it in about ten. You're a threat, Sarah. You have the power to save Jareth, and that makes you a thorn in his side."

"How did he know that I dated Jareth?" Sarah frowned and looked at him closely.

Lucio smirked and shook his head. "It's written all over you, you do know that Jareth is a possessive man."

Sarah rolled her eyes with a smile. "No shit."

He smiled and led her towards the less sinister parts of the castle. "You can't blame him, if I find a woman of your beauty and spirit I'd do anything to keep you too."

The woman nudged him with a snort. "Let me remind you to the fact that I am your niece."

"But that doesn't make it any less of the truth. You look exhausted, allow me to escort you to your room." Lucio smiled and went up a few stairs.

The rest of their way to her room was silent and Sarah had barely energy to keep her eyes open. The clock told her it was nearly seven in the morning, and the sky was already taking away it's stars. Sarah thanked Lucio for his help and support and bid him a good morning, after that she went into her room and walked straight tot Jareth's. A goblin just left after injecting some of Tritinia's blood and he bowed politely. He didn't bother to make conversation with her. And frankly, neither did Sarah. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at the pale man.

His breathing was just a tad too slow for Sarah's taste and he somehow appeared a little bit cramped up, especially in his hands. He was getting a more reassuring complexion and she frowned as she noticed he was getting scrawny. She took his hand and started to massage the stiffness out of it, bending his fingers and did the same to the other. The woman saw the small spot where the needle of the blood transfusion had penetrated his pale skin and she bend how, pressing a kiss to it.

Sarah jumped as she heard and felt how he suddenly took a sharp intake of breath and she looked up to his face hopefully. She sighed softly as she noticed it was just a vague reaction and nothing more. She bent down to his chest, laying her ear against his heart and listened to its soft beating. "I miss you, Jareth." She inhaled deeply and before she knew it she had fallen asleep.


	36. *Chapter 36

Sarah felt something disturbing her sleep, something that pierced and stung her skin. The more she woke up, the more it hurt. At some point she bolted upright, shying away from the pain. She saw Jareth lying limply under the sheets, but that was the only thing she saw. Carefully she reached out and touched his hand. The woman yelped and pulled back again, looking at her hand which was now tingling. It had a strange unsettling glow. She went to her own room and tried to wash it off, scrubbing it harshly, but the glow wouldn't vanish.

Sarah frowned and decided it would go away on its own soon enough. She took a long and calming shower and clothed, pulling on a pair of gloves since she didn't want to be reminded that they were glowing. Just before she could go to her vanity to do her hair Ariel came in.

"Good morning, ma'am. Have you slept well?" She asked politely as she opened the curtains, made the bed and started cleaning.

"Could be better. Could I have some breakfast, please?"

"It's on its way already, ma'am." She heard a knock on the door. "Oh, that's fast." The girl opened the door and took the tray from the goblin that would bring it to Sarah's room. She put it on the desk and went on with her chorus. Her hands and eyes moving fast.

"Why are you so hurried, Ariel?" Sarah asked with a chuckle as she watched the girl dash through the room and she crossed her arms.

"I just started my duties late – I, um… woke up late." A blush dusted her cheeks and she quickly let her hair cover them, afraid that she would see it.

A wide smile spread on Sarah's face and she raised one eyebrow. "Well, relax. Where is Lucio?" Ariel knocked off a candle of her nightstand as she jumped and quickly put it back, her blush gaining more and more colour. Sarah laughed out loud as she saw Ariel panicking. "Don't worry, I'm happy for you." Sarah picked an apple from the tray and ate it as she watched Ariel hurry through the room. Maybe it was a little bit cruel to pry into her private life so much. She threw away the eaten apple and sat down on the chair of the vanity. As she picked up a comb and looked up to the mirror she froze.

She frowned and leaned closer, but nothing changed. "Ariel… Something's wrong here."

Ariel walked over to her and jumped as Sarah looked at her. "Ma'am, if I may ask how did you get that?"

Sarah looked back into the mirror. "I don't know." She touched the marks on the corners of her eyes. "Yesterday night I went to Jareth for a moment, I fell asleep and woke up this morning from painful sparks of electricity or something. It really hurt and my hands were glowing. I wonder what this could mean. Do you have an idea?"

Ariel stuttered, took a few steps back and then ran out of the room. Sarah ran after her, wanting to know what was going on and she ended up in front of Lucio.

The maid started ranting and Sarah tried to ask Lucio what was going on. The Fae trying to silence them. Robert sat watching, rubbing his bandaged shoulder as the wound was itching. He rolled his eyes as he looked at the three stammering towards each other and he cried out. "Would you stop that?"

Ariel blushed and looked down, Sarah looked at him with a huff and Lucio just blinked. The maid looked at the Fae in front of her pleadingly. "Don't you see it, Lucio?" She asked as she held out a hand at Sarah.

Lucio directed his eyes to his niece and he frowned. He leant forward. Carefully he touched the corner of her eye and his eyes widened. "Sarah how did you get this?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know… I fell asleep besides Jareth last night, woke up this morning from a pain in my hands and then I got this. It isn't something dangerous, is it?"

"Not to you, it isn't." Lucio said and he hurried out of the room. Sarah went after him quickly.

As they reached Jareth's chambers Lucio knelt down at Jareth's form and checked his temperature and heart rate. "Sarah, do you have any other changes besides the marks at your eyes?"

"Well yeah, my hands are glowing." She said, pulled off her gloves and moved to him, showing him her hands. The woman jumped as he harshly took her hand and placed it over Jareth's. Sarah cried out as she felt the pain again and pulled away. "Stop that, it hurts!"

Lucio rose slowly. "What I'm going to say now will hurt even more, Sarah. Sit down."

Sarah shook her head, pulling on her gloves. "Actually I'd rather stand, if you don't mind."

The man sighed and laid his hands on her shoulders. "Sarah, Jareth is giving up."

"What?!" She cried out and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "How do you know that? Why would he do that?"

"He is changing you so you can take his place. He is giving up. Whether he's aware of it or not." He frowned and squeezed her shoulders slightly. "Though, this means he is conscious – somewhere. Somewhere where he can think – clearly or not – maybe he is feeling as well, I don't know. But we've got to make progress. Quickly."

Sarah felt and saw tears brimming in her eyes and she bit her lip. "But he's right here – he can't be somewhere else. And he most certainly can't give up!"

"There are a few places where he can be – not in whole, but his spirit can leave his body."

"Like where?"

"Who knows, he might be in the room, or in the Labyrinth. There is one place I really hope he isn't."

"And where is that?"

"Limbo." Lucio said with a deep frown and he let go of her. "The place between life and death."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Darkness was the only thing he could see. It had been like this for god knows how long. It seemed like he had been here for years – maybe decades. He looked into nothing, breathed in nothing and was standing on nothing. There was nothing to be seen. Apart for the horrors in his mind. Dead bodies of goblins, servants, family and friends.

The first time had been the worst. It had been roughly a week ago if he would take it for granted he had been here about a month now. The image of it was still vivid, taunting as it bled to his eyes over and over again. His beloved Sarah, hanging upside down, her legs tied together as she dangled from a chain. Her hands had been tied together above her head and she had worn the same outfit as she had been wearing in the Labyrinth when she still was a teenager. Her green eyes had stared at him, following as he moved around and closer to her. She started panicking, crying, shedding tears of blood. And as if that hadn't been bad enough, she had also started bleeding from invisible wounds, the liquid sliding down her body from under her clothes.

He could still see himself kneeling down by her, calming her and wiping away the blood from her face. Jareth had cried out as she started to get lifted by the chains. Getting farther and farther out of his reach. The Goblin King had ran from that spot, running from the blood that covered the floor, running from the sound of moving chains and running from the sound of grinding jaws.

The man had tripped over the bodies from the ones he loved, making him run – and fall. It was driving him crazy, and even though he knew this couldn't be real, there still was a feeling that it was.

He didn't know where he was – he didn't want to know – he just wanted to get out of there. The sound of moving chains rang painfully loud through his ears, growing louder and louder by the second. At some point he fell to his knees, closed his eyes tightly and put his hands on his ears.

The man felt like he tipped forward, as if he'd been kneeling a little off the edge of a cliff. He fell, suddenly gravity seeming to have vanished. Suddenly he felt a warm, familiar weight resting on his shoulder and he settled on a hard surface. He felt soft breathing against his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around it, afraid to lose the feeling of something warm, breathing - and seemingly safe. Although all was black, now including his own body and the form resting on him, he knew who was with him.

"Sarah?"

His voice rang through the emptiness like a drop falling down a pool, hurting his ears and pulling on her presence. Jareth held her tightly and squeezed his eyes closed. "Please, Sarah... Don't fade away." The emptiness of the echo of his voice increased and something angry clawed at the only familiar feeling around him.

The Goblin King's fingers dug in soft hair and he concentrated. "Nothing shall harm you." He kept repeating that single line as he tried to keep his grip on his sanity. Still distressed from the view of her suffering he started to pour every amount of energy he had into her. If Sarah was somehow here too, he would do everything he could to get her out of here.

Jareth felt himself weaken, but he didn't care. As long as Sarah was safe.

Sarah vanished and he panicked. He sat on knees, looking around skittishly. He knew that it was of no use to do so but the place was getting to him. Jareth snarled at the darkness and it seemed to mock him. Angrily he started to claw at the black surface he was standing on. It wouldn't move, it was as smooth as glass and as unforgiving at metal. The Goblin King jumped up, wobbling as he felt weak and he started to run again. He sucked in a deep breath as his foot got caught behind something and he fell.

He crawled back up, turning to look if he could see what he had tripped over. He pressed his eyes closed and turned from Sarah's carcass. Another cause of death before his eyes. Jareth growled as he felt an incredible sting in his arm, one he had felt much more often. He pulled up his sleeve and looked at it. There was a small hole and the veins nearby gave a white glow. Since he had not looked before, assuming it was either a hallucination or the shadow toying with him, he hadn't known what was going on there. But now that he saw the effect the sting had he realised something.

He _wasn't_ dead. And somebody out there was helping him. He would get away.

There was still hope.


	37. *Chapter 37

Cristian sat shivering in the wooden chair, his body and health continually in bad shape as two iron needles were pressed into the palms of his hand. His vision blurred and he hung his head. Vaguely he saw a foot being placed on the chair between his feet and a hand lifted his chin up. He tried to struggle but his muscles were sore and his energy low. It took him a lot of effort to just lift his upper lip to growl at him.

"I have been generous, Cristian. Don't force me to be cruel. If you tell us now, your fate won't be as bad as it will be when you don't." Lucio crooned as he eyed the big goblin by his side.

Cristian narrowed his eyes, his lips pressed together. As Lucio scraped a needle of iron of Cristian's arm he cried out and went limp as Lucio removed, looking at the small line of blood. Lucio raked the needle over the line of blood and Cristian struggled. "I don't work alone!" He cried out.

Lucio leaned back, pleased. "Oh really? Do tell."

Now that the iron was removed from his blood the pain subdued he gritted his teeth and refused to talk again. Lucio narrowed his eyes warningly, twisting the needle between his fingers he looked down at the needles cutting in his hands. "Being in constant pain is rather agonising, is it not?" He pulled back and turned to the beefy goblin behind him. "Kepthi, do you know what the best way is to perform torture?" The goblin shook his head, a delighted glint shining in the creature's eye. "It's very simple really. Every species that is capable of thinking and considering is quite literally torturing himself – you needn't to do much." Lucio started to circle Cristian. "Torture even goes so far these days that we can inject liquid iron into the bloodstream, which is powerful enough to weaken and hurt the victim but is not strong enough to kill him. It can stay in the bloodstream for days." Cristian was getting panicked and the needles of iron in his hands seemed to burn as if it taunting him with the threats Lucio made. "In fact – I have a few doses with me." The needle winked at Cristian as it was pulled out of thin air.

His heart pounded as he watched the grey-blue liquid dance within the barrel. The needles in Cristians hands bended as he pulled on him and the man screamed in agony as they sliced through his hands.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Heavy curtains were closed, denying the restless sleeper the chance to wake up from the nightmare the girl was having. Her head tilted restlessly, her body turning occasionally as it couldn't find a comfortable position. Her heart was racing, her skin pale and her cheeks and temples moist as tears and sweat trickled down. The sheets were twisting around her legs and body and a few pillows had spilled down onto the floor.

Had Sarah not said she wanted to sleep in that day, someone might have woken her but no one would come for her unless something was wrong or she wouldn't have showed her face after two in the afternoon. The clocked chimed mockingly nine times, not disturbing the world of horrors the mortal was trapped in.

Without the knowledge of when the horrors would end, her fingers clawed in the sheets as her body twisted.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Robert sighed as he looked at the great scar Cristian had given him. Although it didn't hurt anymore, it didn't look pretty. He pulled on a poet shirt and looked at himself, frowning. He wasn't Fae, didn't posses any magic, but he still had the lifespan of one, at least in the Underground. He reached out to the mirror and his reflection did the same. The gray streaks which had been in his hair had disappeared, wrinkles were straightening out and his body was gaining better shape and gained a fairer complexion.

He sighed, things were becoming far too complicated for him. He had cheated on his wife with the love of his life that was taken from him, and his heart was aching to see Toby, with his innocent blue eyes, blonde disarray of hair his playful nature.

Maybe the worst part of this was that he wasn't missing Karen, the woman he had wed and had a child with. What was he to do once he would return to the Above – or what should he do if he didn't return? He didn't want to loose his son in the Above but didn't want to loose his brother and the love of his life either – even if he couldn't have her. "Karen." Her name left his lips with pity, he jumped as his fingertips burnt where they touched the mirror's smooth surface and jumped back. Wide eyed he looked how Karen's image appeared, making breakfast in the kitchen. Her lips moved as she talked to someone behind her. _"Toby could you get some sugar next door, honey?"_

_"Sure, mom."_

_"Hurry up, breakfast is almost done."_

"Karen?"

"Robert?" The woman whirled around as she jumped. "Where are you?"

He chuckled softly. "You can't see me…" His voice was sad. "Karen, we have to talk." The woman turned around, continuing making breakfast as her face fell. "I've found her, Karen. I've found Linda."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Karen. You know how I feel about her… I'm at wits end. I truly love her – I've found my brother here… I'll be losing Sarah to Jareth. If you only were able to see how much she's fighting for him – as much as I should have fought for Linda… But I didn't." His voice ended in a soft murmur.

"I understand." Not knowing where to look since she couldn't see him she just turned and looked up. "I want you to be happy Robert, I really do. Whatever your choice is, I'll respect it." She looked down.

"I…" Robert sighed. "I want to stay here, Karen." He watched in agony as tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I really am."

"It's okay Robert, I understand." She rubbed the tears from her eyes and looked up, straight into his eyes this time. "But what about Toby? And what about…" She stopped and another tear ran down her cheek. "I… I should have told you earlier! I'm pregnant again, Robert."

The man gasped and felt his stomach drop. "Oh, Karen… I…"

"I understand if you want Toby. You always doted so much on him." A sob-like chuckle left her lips. "The poor boy barely had any rest when you two were both home – you came back early for him, cancelled meetings and formal dinners just to see him." She smiled sadly. "I want you to have him, Robert. He can't live without his father."

"No, Karen -"

"Please, I want him to. He'd always been and always will be such a dreamer – I want him to live in this world which Sarah always talked with him about. He can spend the half of the summer break here."

"Are you sure, Karen? I don't mind -"

"I am sure. I'll have this baby and in time I'll tell him who his father is. Alright?"

"I… Okay. I'll be there soon to take care of everything. I am so very sorry, Karen." His voice was raw and Karen smiled softly.

"Don't regret love, Robert. It is the worst thing to do. I love you." She held out her neatly manicured fingers reaching out to him. Robert touched her hand with his own and he saw she felt him.

"I love you too, Karen."

_"Mom, I'm back. Mom? What's wrong?!"_

Robert pulled back from Karen's hand and the vision disappeared. He took a few unstable steps back until he fell down on his knees. He buried his face in his hands and slumped.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Time passed, the new full moon was looking down at Sarah as her eyes shone with determination. She whirled away from it, her hands fisted as the wind blew against her. She inhaled slowly and then walked out of her room to where Lucio, Robert and her horde of goblins waited for her.

The nightmare she had last night had captured her until one in the afternoon – flashes of corpses in caskets, jewels covered in blood and spiders crawling along the walls. She had no idea where this nightmare had come from – it wasn't just a dream she got – it was ten times more powerful and everything had seemed so real. She had believed it to be a vision – but she couldn't be sure. She hadn't told anyone yet and for now she just would have to push the nightmare away and focus on the second full moon. Today they would find in the Hidden Library what they needed. They had too – or it might be too late.

Sarah briefly greeted a few servants that wished her luck but never her pace faltered. As she reached the familiar doors she greeted her father, Lucio and the goblins and Lucio opened the doors. The woman handed out the post-its and with five simple words they continued their search. "You know what to do."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

They had two more minutes before the gates would close, Sarah was searching frantically through the last books, tears streaming down her face as they had yet to find something. At the last row, the bottom one, Sarah threw out all books and her eyes fled over the pages.

Lucio sat back. "Well – that was it. No answers here."

"No! There must be!" Sarah jumped up and looked around the library for any sign of a shelf that might not have been checked. The yellow post-its stared back at her and she whirled around, her eyes big and her cheeks tear stained. Robert and the goblins left the library, defeated, and Lucio walked over to Sarah. He put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged her shoulder, throwing it off violently. "It has to be here somewhere – what did we miss?"

"We didn't miss anything, Sarah. The library just doesn't have the answer for us." He took her arm to get her out of the library – the doors would close within a minute and if they weren't out by then they would be trapped until the next full moon. "Sarah come on – we have to go." He took her arm but she struggled. "Sarah, come on!" Lucio looked with big eyes to the doors closing slowly. He picked her up, one hand at her ribs and the other at the back of her knees, and he sprinted out, the doors closing against his heels.

He sighed in relief and put Sarah down carefully. "Not all is lost, Sarah."

"If I wouldn't have had that nightmare this morning I'd have more time to prepare."

"For what? Sarah, no matter how well you were prepared, there was no usable information here. It's not your fault." He mentioned the goblins that they could go and mentioned to his brother to come with him.

Lucio led Sarah through the halls towards the drawing room where they sat down. He asked a maid to bring them some tea and some cookies to calm Sarah down and he patted her hand softly. "You said you had a nightmare. Was this about losing Jareth again?"

"No – I didn't even see Jareth. It's strange really, it seemed like it had nothing to do with the Underground and yet it did."

"What was it about then?"

Sarah tried to relax, sinking back into the couch. "I don't know. I saw some kind of mummification, I saw corpses, coffins…" She bit her lip and frowned slightly. "Jewels covered with blood, knives… I was in some sort of dark chamber lit by candles and I heard people crying and heard some kind of soft singing. Also there were people were cutting signs into the breastbones of the corpses."

"That doesn't make any sense." Robert stated and raked a hand through his hair.

Lucio was deep in thought. "But it does. This sound much like a ritual – something many are not particularly pleased with. The jewels mean wealth, the corpses obviously mean death. All these things resemble the death of the king or queen – what kind of signs were the one you saw, Sarah?"

She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and pondered deeply for several minutes. Her eyes widened. "It looked like the shape of Jareth's pendant – kind of."

Lucio rose and walked into the hallways of the library. About some moments he came back – meanwhile Robert had seemed deep in thought. He sat back down and placed an open book on the table. "Look, I found a book about the customs and traditions of the Goblin Realm." He pointed with his gloved finger to the title of the chapter. "This is written in goblin language – but this describes what happens when a king or a queen dies. What you dreamt was the ritual of letting the royalties cross over to the next world. It's very rare – even more so in the Labyrinth. Fae can only die when being murdered. Before Jareth built the Labyrinth the Goblin Realm were just large mountains with big caves and valleys. The entire area was cut off by the high mountains and it took a great deal of effort to pass those mountains. This ritual only happened three times so far. Most rules were cruel and were never grieved for or didn't deserve to be sung to. Just three of them were worth the pain. King Gullivian, king Jarastion and queen Selah." Lucio sat back and looked at Sarah with a slight frown. "I wonder if this is just a normal dream, or something that might help our progress."

"It's just a dream, Lucio." Sarah said.

"It may be. But isn't it just too strange that you dream of something you don't know anything about?"

Sarah laughed. "Uncle, I've dreamt about walking down a pyramid on a dragon. I doubt that should be based on something true too."

"Who says that won't happen one day?" Lucio asked with a grin. "Come on, let's get you some sleep. I'll be sure to look into the ritual further."


	38. *Chapter 38

Confervo held his head high, he would prove to be worthy to be present at this ritual, even though he was hurt more deeply than when dear Haeres died, the priest that had taught him everything.

Paracletus laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Dulcis, please fetch the mixture from the chest, it is time to begin. Confervo," He turned to the young priest. "I would like you to offer the most precious possession to her."

Confervo's eyes widened, his pale face getting an excited glow. "Really?"

"Yes, really. You've guided her beautifully, you deserve it." He smiled at the young one and turned to the embalmed figure on the altar. He pressed both his forefingers to his temples, then to his lips and then he held his hands palms down over the mummy.

Dulcis gently poured the mixture into the mummy's mouth after which he closed the mouth and took the small pot which contained the deceased's blood combined with holy water. After putting a narrowing tube on the pot he spilled the fluid over the queen's jewellery while chanting an ancient poem.

After a nod from Dulcis, Paracletus quietly hymned the song for the crossing. Meanwhile Confervo placed a beautiful white-golden music box on the queen's heart. He'd be certain he'd never to forget her face. He'd never forget or regret what he had done. There was no knowledge about the things he had done apart from his own and the Lord's. There was only the deed. The being left in this world that was both Selah and him. The mismatched boy with the piercing eyes who would be meant to be with the Champion. At least, that's what the Lord told him. What his mate would be Champion of would remain a mystery to him, after all, what was here in the mountains to conquer?

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth was sitting in nothingness. He was leaning his head back and tried to collect himself. Still he was wrapped in the suffocating darkness, still he was tormented by visions that got worse and worse and still there was no sign of light or a way out.

His sense of time and direction had long gone and everything that he was had pulled back to make place for just four things. Attention, alertness, nerves and fear. It put him on edge constantly, making his hands shake. Sitting down and trying to relax was proving useless and even though he never got tired or slept he felt pretty jaded and empty.

It took him a while to get the willpower to think, but he needed to distract himself as much as possible. He thought carefully about when he was a child. In the real world he had never managed to look back as far as he could now. And for some reason, he didn't doubt that this was an absolute truth and not another dellusion. Gone was the Aboveground boy he thought he had been, replaced by another life.

The way he was raised by the blonde priest in the Underground, completely free to decide to believe in the Lord or not. How the kind man was taken from him when he turned eight, told that the priest was impure and corrupted by his father. After that he had been left by his father in the Valleys because he needed to travel to connect to higher powers. Alone at a prone age he started to roam and was taken in by a few gently monks. During Jareth's time in the within the Valley's abbey he had heard his mother had died. He had been devastated even though he couldn't even remember who his mother was.

This set him onto another train of thoughts. Would his father know of the state he was in?

Ah, his lovely Sarah. How he wondered how she was doing. Was she still singing? He did hope so, her voice was lovely. The Goblin King wondered if he still way lying in that hotel room, wrapped up tightly in numbers of blankets. He didn't think so. There seemed to be magic used with the injections he was getting in his arm.

The thought of Sarah being able to contact someone from his world brought him hope. He just hoped she was in good hands and these injections weren't actually of ill intent. 

It was hard to put Sarah's face in his mind, even more so since he had only seen her face wretched in agony or mauled since he ended up in this cursed place.

His arm tingled, the sensation pulling all the way through his arm. He looked down, not seeing his arm this time. But he did see a tiny spot which he knew to be his arm, brancing into the patterns of his veins. This was number forty two. He had started counting the times this happened. He presumed the procedure was done once, twice or three times a day. So it had been either over forty, twenty or fourteen days. It gave him some sense of time. How he missed the feeling of balance, solid ground beneath his feet and the coordination. It had been long enough to make him doubt what it was like.

Oh, how he hoped things would change soon. Whether it was awakening, or death.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; )) 

"Sarah? Are you ready for dinner?"

"Yes, yes come in!" Sarah shouted to the man on the other side of the door, and smiled as Lucio's head poked in to check if she was decent. "You know, Lucio, I've discovered something some days ago. Because of all the hectic things lately I totally forgot to ask you about it."

"What is it?" Lucio murmured as he eyed the objects she had the goblins ordered to take from her home because she missed them. His eyes lingered on a pretty little music box.

"Your 'I won't look to what I haven't wed' thingy, does that ring a bell?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about." He murmured indifferently.

"It might have something to do with my loyal maid, hmm?" Sarah purred as she turned to her youthful uncle and walked over to him.

"Sarah, I… She… Y-you…" His cheeks coloured and he turned from her, his hands fisting. "Damn it…" Lucio turned back. "It's just so hard to control!"

"Don't worry, it's not prosecutable."

Lucio narrowed his eyes at her. "It is humiliating and weak."

Sarah lay a hand on his arm and pulled him with her, out of the room. "For as far as I know, it's love." She smiled up at the man as he considered it. "Don't doubt anything you're doing now. It's coming right from the heart. I assume at least."

"Tsk. Just take a look at this mess. My brother's little baby is lecturing me." Lucio stated as he lifted his chin slightly. Sarah snorted and they continued their way to the dining room. Only one thing was said by Lucio. "By the way, I do know you've been sleeping by Jareth's side for the past few weeks."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Confervo was praying in front of the altar when suddenly five trolls stormed in. With little effort they tore him from the altar, each of them grabbing one limb and holding him horizontally. The priest cried out in pain when the nails bore into his arms and legs and he chanted a quick prayer for the Lord to help him. Confervo flinched as the fifth troll pulled on his hair. "You, priest, we're looking for an ancient relic. A white music box. We know it is near. Where is it?"

"What do you want it for?" Confervo demanded as he twisted, trying to get loose. Instead, the trolls started stretching his limbs past their limits and he threw his head back, screaming in agony.

As his eyes opened and he looked past one of the trolls he saw a little six year old blond boy peeking from a pillar in the back of the nave. He pulled on his limbs again as he cried out. "Run, Jareth! Get the Tune go to the sanctuary! Quick! Don't let anything stop you!"

The fifth troll snarled at him. "You fool! You have sealed your fate. Tear him apart, I'm going to get the boy!"

"Malo portentum! The Lord has no place for the likes of you!" Confervo spit in the eye of the troll and the monster roared. Suddenly small guards came crawling from the dark. Ugly creatures with green and brown skin, yellow or red eyes and sharp teeth. "Where on earth…" He grunted as the trolls ignored them and pulled on his limbs. Suddenly the priest smiled. "Bless you, Jareth…"

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Jareth dived into a narrow tunnel, yelling as he felt the troll brushing his foot. A frightening face appeared in the opening of the tunnel and by his first instinct Jareth kicked, hitting the top of its face. The boy hurried while the troll roared and sought for another way to get to him, the tunnels too narrow for him. Blonde hair stuck to the kid's face and dirt clung to his cheeks as he crawled forward.

He got bored often and he went to explore all the time. He knew this maze of tunnels like the back of his hand. He had always been easy with that, remembering ways and details, no matter if it was well lit or pitch black. He heard the troll stomping above him in the hallway.

He had to think fast, adrenaline was coursing through his veins and clouding his mind. The food stock was above the tombs. He had been there countless of times. He was below the library now. So his way was…

Right. Suddenly it was perfectly clear. To him, at least.

Right, right, right, left, right, left, left, left, right.

Like the devil was breathing down his neck he raced through the tunnels, for as far as that was possible while crawling. The footsteps faded behind him and he focused on the way. And to calm himself he started to name every Latin word for 'rest' and the like in his mind.

Faster than he ever crawled he ended up into the tombs. The small altar filled with candles the only source of light. "I'm sorry, Lord. I trust you understand." He murmured as he took a candle from the altar to take with him. Rats scurried past his feet, cockroaches crunched underneath his feet and cobwebs brushed his face. After a few moments of searching for the right tomb he came to a sliding halt to the sarcophagus of the queen. He looked to the way he came from, silence ringing in his ears.

Even though he didn't really believe in the Lord, he wasn't taking any risks. He kneeled and whispered an ancient poem of forgiveness. When he finished he heard the troll throwing himself against the door to the tombs. As fast as he could he pushed the sarcophagus open, grabbed the dusty white-golden music box and crawled behind a large statue of an angel. He put out his candle and held as still as he could, hiding the music box underneath his clothing so it wouldn't shimmer in the light.

Jareth held his breath as the troll neared.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

The Goblin King sat still, his head hanging forward as he sat, cross-legged on the ground. Or whatever it was he was sitting on. The more he thought about the details of his past, the more he could remember.

He gritted his teeth as his arm stung. With an echoing growl he looked at his arm. Those damn things were starting to really hurt him, that couldn't be a good thing, could it?

Jareth closed his eyes and he exhaled slowly, only one name echoing on his lips. "Sarah."

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; )) 

Sarah pulled her hand back like she'd burned it. And in a way, she had. However, the amount of energy Jareth was giving as she touched his hand had lessened. The woman frowned and looked up at Lucio. He was busy cleaning the needle which he had used just now to give Jareth the injection. After a few seconds he noticed he was being watched and he put the device away. "What's on your mind, Sarah?"

"I think he is weakening. The energy he gives is lessening."

The doctor smiled. "You worry so much, child. Don't pay attention to the dark side alone. Perhaps he is starting to gather magic to break free."

"We don't even have an antidote, how is he supposed to break free?"

"Miracles happen, more here than anywhere else. With that comes the fact that Jareth is a very powerful man. Can you recall anything of value someone said to you in this whole ordeal?"

"Well, Cristian certainly hasn't been of any help." She said bitterly and thought for a few moments. Perhaps Tritinia? "She said her blood could save lives, and that it would keep Jareth stable, but it wouldn't save him."

"Her blood might have to be combined then. That's a start."

"No it isn't." Sarah looked at his frown and sighed. "Couldn't it be that Jareth just got poisoned and it pulled him in a coma because of the curse?"

"Sarah, let me explain how most curses work in the Underground. People play dirty here. Really dirty. You don't get poisoned here without dying. Dark spells used here are made to kill or eliminate indefinitely to be trapped between life and death. Someone didn't just try to damage his health."

The woman growled and jumped up. "Enough! Enough." She sighed, closing her eyes and walking out of the room.


	39. *Chapter 39

Sarah picked on her food, frowning as she was lost in thought. On the same table was Lucio, eating in silence, and Robert who didn't seem to have much of an appetite either. After a while Lucio was starting to notice both weren't eating and he put his fork down. "Is something bothering you two?"

She pursed her lips, seeing her father look up at her, wondering if she should tell for a few seconds, but then she sat back. "I dreamt again. The woman I've been dreaming about more often – that Selah – she died from the same mixture."

Lucio jumped up. "What? Why didn't you tell me earlier? How do you know?"

"Well, I'm not sure... It's strange, really…" She muttered as she blushed and shrunk a little. "My dreams showed her getting cursed and what it's like in limbo… It was horrible. She was so relieved to finally die even though she'd only been in the curse two weeks. I-I… I was in a garden with her – she told me she knew it was what happened to Jareth too – and she knew what we had to do to get him back." Lucio and Robert looked at each other and grinned. "That wasn't the only thing though. She said she was Jareth's mother…" The two men's faces fell, Lucio's mouth dropped.

"Wait – Sarah, did you just say… What? Selah is Jareth's mother?" He cried.

The woman spluttered. "I-I don't know! How do I know it's not just some dream? Isn't it weird we're just getting the solution on a proverbial silver platter?"

"Well we can't look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides – we've struggled to get an answer, and your dreams seem to be the only lead to solve this so far. We at least have to try – we have pretty much nothing to loose." He sat down, pushing his plate to the side and leaning forward. "Tell me exactly what she told you."

"She first told me the curse is a… tainted one?" She said questioningly.

Lucio nodded with a frown. "Yes." He drawled, pursing his lips. "I'd figured. A tainted curse is a poison altered with the sacred spider bane. That's why Titania told you to use her blood to keep him stable – spider blood contains many antidotal substances."

"The woman said we needed a more highly concentrated version of the spider's blood and -"

"Poison is more potent." The doctor interrupted. "However, it is much more difficult to gain. Blood can be tapped from a spider – but poison has to be freely given…"

"But Titania died – how are we supposed to get poison?"

"She has much offspring of which some actually turn out to thrive. Others die by the poison in their own blood. But I don't know where they go. I will take care of finding that out later – what else did she tell you?"

"We needed three fairies willing to sacrifice themselves for him, a priest and an ancient object of importance for a ritual."

Lucio sighed and looked at Robert as he raked a hand through his hair. "All the time, all we needed was some spider poison, three fairies, a priest and an artefact? So much effort, just to get the answer thrown in our laps. This is beyond bizarre."

"I still can't really believe this is it – it seems too easy. What if the woman in my dreams only pretended to be Selah and that she's giving us the directions to his death?"

Lucio rose, a strange smile on his lips. "Then we'll be able to finally free Jareth of the horrors he's having. There is not much time left, this might very well be our only hope. I propose we split the tasks." He looked to his brother, at the scar that peered from his shirt. "Robert, I want you to take care of the three fairies." His eyes moved to the young woman in front of him. "Sarah, you'll be looking for the priest. Then I will find a sacred spider that is willing to share his poison."

"Can't we do all these things together? Why would we have to split up?" Sarah pressed.

"Jareth has been between life and death for too long, it's practically unavoidable he won't be the same if he survives. His weight has been dropping and is now reaching a critical point. Now that we have a possible solution we need to move as fast as we can."

"So when will we leave?" Robert asked as he rose too.

"We'll leave at dawn tomorrow so we'll have today to prepare and do some research. We'll each go by separate carriages accompanied by six guards each. I think you, Robert, will be able to find the fairies within the Labyrinth – I doubt there won't be a few fairies willing to save their king."

"I won't let Sarah go without me." Robert stated as he looked at his daughter.

"It's fine, dad." Her tone of voice made it clear enough that was her choice, and that she wouldn't change her mind.

Robert sighed. "Very well, but you'll have to double the guards." He demanded from Lucio, rubbing the side of his face.

Lucio grinned and threw his arm over his brother's shoulders. "You worry too much, Sarah is a great woman, I might even say she's accomplished more than you did." He grinned as his brother grimaced. He cleared his throat and stepped away from his brother. "I will excuse myself now, there are a few things I need to know before I can go tomorrow. I want you two to rest. I'll also seek for the locations of a few priests – there are not much left in the Underground."

Sarah jumped up. "Wait a second, I want to help."

Lucio walked to her seat and put her plate closer in front of her. "Eat. To bed before eleven."

"I get a bedtime?"

"Yes."

Sarah frowned and bent over her plate, then Lucio left along with Robert.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; ))

Lucio leafed through some records in the library, his quill locked tight between his fingers as his eyes scanned for the name of the last priests. There were a lot of nuns, sacred family but very close to no priests. He turned the last page and hoped for at least one more name – but there were none to be found.

With a frustrated growl he pushed the files away and looked down at the two names he'd written down. Dulcis and Confervo were the two last priests of the Underground that had no cause of death or location of remains.

With a screech from the chair as it was pushed back, Lucio rose and strode to the cabinets in the corner of the library. He pulled a drawer and searched through it. The man took a file of Dulcis and continued. After going through the entire C-section three times he cursed and slammed the cabinet shut, leaning on it with his head down. "Dear heavens tell me Dulcis will be found by lady Sarah…" He rubbed his face, took the file and walked back to the desk. "I'll be grey by the end of this misery." Lucio tilted his head from side to side, stretching sore muscles with a frown on his face.

"You look worried, brother."

The otherworldly doctor looked up, seeing Robert standing in the doorway. Robert closed the door behind him and walked towards him. Lucio let out a growl and swiped the files he'd been leafing through from the desk onto the floor. "It's infuriating! There are only two priests left in the entire Underground. And to top it off, the priests' files are missing! We only have one to depend on!"

"It's better than nothing." Robert said, trying to calm him. "I say you bring the files to Sarah and go to bed."

"I guess so." Lucio huffed. "Is she still awake?"

"Yes, she just went to see Jareth."

Lucio took the file and patted his brother's shoulder once. "Goodnight, Robert. Good luck tomorrow, I'll be leaving in two hours."

Robert turned around, his lips parting as he was about to question him, but Lucio was already gone. With a little sigh he picked up the files and put them on the table, then he left.

(( b34;b35;° Dance Magic Dance! °b35;b34; )) 

Lucio strode through the hallways, heading for the royal chambers were he'd find Sarah. A few goblins greeted him as he passed but they received no reaction from the healer.

As he entered the king's chambers he saw Sarah sitting on the side of the bed, talking softly. He cleared his throat and she jumped. "I don't mean to intrude or interrupt… Are you alright?"

Sarah gave him a surprisingly sanguine smile. "Yes I'm fine. You just scared me a little bit, that's all. What's up?"

Lucio walked towards her, smiling as he saw she had his hand on her lap. "I've been searching for information concerning your journey tomorrow. I have found only two remaining candidates, I'm afraid."

"That's better than nothing – who are they?"

"They're called Dulcis and Confervo. Our biggest chance lies with Dulcis – supposedly he lives in an old church about three to four days away. I haven't read the entire file yet, but we know which way you'll be headed. I already took care of a carriage and sufficient guards for you. I propose you go to bed to rest and read it tomorrow morning during breakfast or during your travel."

"Okay." She muttered as she took the files, looking at them. "I'll see you at breakfast then."

"I'm afraid not, Sarah. In order to return on time I'll be leaving in about two hours, they're readying the carriage as we speak."

"I… Okay, good luck then, I guess." She said a bit worrisome.

Lucio smiled. "Not to worry, I'll be fine." He took Sarah's hand and pressed a kiss on it. "You just worry about finding that priest, then everything will be alright."

"What do you think it will be like?" She asked, suddenly quiet as she looked down at the gloved hand.

"Sarah?"

"If Jareth would come back – what do you think it will be like? It's impossible being caught in limbo for as long as Jareth has and have it not leave any traces."

"You're right, Jareth is a strong man, but dangling on the edge is bound to ruffle his feathers, maybe even break him. I don't know what it will be like – only time will tell. He might be in shock for a while, but it might as well go as far as insanity. I can't tell you more than that, but let's just focus on getting him back. We'll deal with the damage later."

Sarah nodded, hugged Lucio. "Thank you for everything, Lucio, and good luck on finding one of those spiders."

"Thank you, Sarah." He muttered with a smile and patted the young woman's head. "I wish you strength and luck on your quest. I must go now, there's a lot left I have to do before I can go. I'll see you in two weeks time."

They let go and Lucio turned and left. Sarah let out a sigh, turned to Jareth and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Hang on in there, Jareth. It will be over soon."


	40. UPDATE

_ **Previously:** _

_Well hello there!_

_It's been forever since I visited this website. It's been forever since I even wrote any fanfiction that should be published online (mainly just random oneshots without much depth in it)._

_So tell me. Is this website still active? Are there people that would like to see this story finished? Even after two years of no updates? Reading all your lovely comments was just wonderful. It made me feel sad that I never continued on this story - or any other in my list for that matter. That's why I'd like to pick things up again. I can't promise I'll be as active as I was a while ago - but there could be new updates. Maybe I can publish a new chapter once every two weeks? I don't know - it really depends on how busy I am. I'm dying to treat this story with a fine toothed comb, straighten things out and round it up. So please let me know if you're excited to read more! (I will probably schedule a clean-up to take a month at most. It's only fair - there are 39 chapters I need to check and/or correct!)_

_So what have I been up to these past TWO BLOODY YEARS?! It's been so long! I have been busy with my education. A standard excuse, I know, but it's true. I am now starting on the second half of the third year in my Animation major at the art university. So much has happened in the mean time... I don't want to get too personal online. I learned a lot, I had a major confidence boost (goodbye little wallflower!) and strengthened the lovely bond of friendship with 5 amazing friends. Besides that I now have two pet snakes that I totally adore - and thank god am still best of the best friends with my now-seven-years-anniversary best friend from England. I live on my own near university and recently picked up on learning tarot. I made my own David Bowie tarot deck, even. _

_So why did I run off?_

_Quite frankly, I was getting a little tired of the fandom. Things were getting old and I needed a refreshment. Two years back I assumed I was done with the fandom completely, and deleted all my stories on fanfiction.net. It was just 20 minutes ago that I (for some reason) remembered this website and decided to visit. Feeling nostalgic as I logged in I clicked on Manage Stories (maybe to just see no list and to smile sadly?) and I realized everything was there._

_I now feel excited to start writing again. So if you please, I'd love a warm-ish welcome, or just a quick comment that you can't wait to see more! Whether I'll actually publish the new chapters is up to you! I will be writing them, but I won't put them online if they'll just be gather dust again!_

_Writing this feels so nice - but I feel I've been ranting for long enough. It's great to be back! _

_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_-~-_

Now here we are. Every chapter has been revised, ploughed through, fixed... How people could read through all this I'll never know - there was so much to fix. All revising has been done within these submission boxes, the text on this website it the only text that's left of it. It feels kind of exclusive, doesn't it? Even to me.

But: everything has been polished now. This story is ready to get back on track. Personally I advise to re-read this story. Things have been left out - sometimes something has been added. I could list them for you, but really, it's better to just experience this story again. 

SPOILERS: The main changes that have taken place involve sidetracking which often created awkward plottwst 'diversions' or other confusing elements. Furthermore, I have taken away Jareth's magic within the human world.

I now have a clear direction again. The main reason that this story turned inactive is mostly because I backed myself into a corner and I wasn't sure where to turn anymore. Some of you might be pleased to hear that the story is now more focused on the plotline.


	41. *Chapter 40

  
Author's notes:

* * *

_“Food is scarce in these parts. I have wandered for days on little water and the only food resources I seem to be finding here are berries with little nutrition and a few hares every now and then. It’s a rather disappointing find for the midst of spring. The two guards I have taken with me are getting impatient and aggressive. Goblins don’t do well with empty bellies._

_This land is dismal, depressing and dull, but I feel that I’m getting closer. There is no sign of other spider species, there are no fairies to be found and I have not encountered a single bug yet. This is a good sign. A nest may be just a day away._

_I have no other means of messaging you now or letting you know how it’s going. This hawk won’t get back soon enough, if it could find me at all. Yet I know that today is the day that you will ride, in search of Dulcis. I wish you all the luck with that. Know that I will send you whatever luck that I can find or acquire myself._

_Remind Robert that he has to lift a finger too. We still need those fairies._

_I will see you again, in a week’s time, presuming that I’ve almost found a nest._

_Best wishes, from a place without a single mosquito,_

_Lucio_

_Ps. Underground mosquitoes have the itchiest bites, don’t scratch them.”_

The letter was crumpled angrily and thrown into the fire. With an angry swipe of an arm a dead, bleeding hawk was thrown to the ground.

Sarah walked through the corridors with worry clear on her face. Beside her walked her father, whom put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. “It’s alright, princess. I’m sure Lucio is fine.”

“He’s been gone for over a week now; shouldn’t he be able to send a message, somehow?”

“He said he’d bring a hawk or two to send us word. But who knows, maybe he’s already on his way back and he won’t need a hawk.”

“I don’t want to go, what if something happens and I’m not here?”

Robert stopped her as she opened the main entrance doors of the castle. He held both her shoulders and looked at her. “Then I’ll be here. Don’t worry about Lucio, he’s fine. I can feel it. We need your full attention to the task at hand, finding Dulcis. Think about that, and only that.” She nodded quietly and he gently squeezed her shoulders. “Promise me, princess.”

The woman looked up to her father, whom had a stern frown on his face. “I promise, daddy. Thank you. I’ll be back in a week; I’ve heard multiple sources say that Dulcis does actually live in the Saint Mariette church, in the Darklands district, a day away from the borders of the Labyrinth. I’ll send word once I reach the church.”

“Good girl.” Robert smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering, before he pulled back, taking a calming breath. “Good girl. Be safe, have at least two guards at your side at all time. Drink enough water and eat enough fruit. I’ll be very upset if the fruit basket doesn’t come back empty.”

“Sure, dad, will do.” She said with a giggle. His earnest expression made her roll her eyes. “I’ll be fine dad, I’m a big girl.”

“Lady Sarah, your carriage is ready.”

She nodded to the guard reporting to her. “Thank you.” Looking back to her dad she smiled, a nervous tickle in her stomach. “Well, this is it. I’ll see you in a week, dad. Be sure to check up on Jareth twice a day, have someone report back to you every time he gets an injection and let me know should anything change… for better or for worse.” The woman embraced him tightly, then let go and hurried to the carriage. There were two guards in front of the carriage, two on top of them, and six behind it. “Let’s go, everyone!”

Sleeping in the carriage hadn’t been ideal, and the excitement of going to travel was long gone, but she was optimistic. They had occasionally stopped to feed and water the horses, short moments that made the journey more bearable and that allowed her to get out of the carriage, under supervision, of course.

They had entered the Darklands recently. They could arrive at the church any moment now. In the meantime Sarah had read Dulcis and Convervo’s files as well as some literature on the religion they supported so faithfully.

It was a lot like Christianity except that it was more open to interpretation and showed more acceptance towards other religions. But it also had some aspects of the classic Greek religion. Dyqethos, the word used to name the religion, was also a polite greeting to those who practiced it and always came prior to ‘amen’. Monks were always dressed in navy blue robes, whereas nuns were clad in azure and priests in arctic blue. You always greeted either of these three with folded hands and a bow, kneeling if you didn’t practice Dyqethos yourself.

They were little details, but Sarah wanted to greet the priest as properly as she could, especially because he was such an old and honorable man, if she were to believe the files and literature.

Her dreams had often reached out to Jareth, but less and less often did she see him in his dreams. It was almost as if he was somehow fading away. But Sarah did all she could to keep optimistic. She needed to hold her hopeful and determined stature to keep those around her in good spirits.

She had noticed the Goblins growing restless. They had been apprehensive from the start, after such a long time without their king but now that he was back, and dying, according to them, they started turning from him. It was a painful and saddening. Some had even started to see him as what he appeared to be these days; a vegetable, or worse, dead.

The carriage stopped and her heart skipped a beat. The door to the carriage opened and one of the guards bowed at her, the light of the setting sun reflecting off his armor.

“We have arrived, lady.”

Sarah straightened her back, steeling herself and lifting her chin. She moved to the door and thanked the guard as he helped her out. Turning to the guards she saw them waiting for orders. “I’d like four of you to join me in my visit to the priest. I want two to get provisions for the way back, make sure you bring plenty and I want you to be respectable to the town’s folk. Two feed and water the horses and the two coachmen must rest, we’ll be leaving again soon.”

Four guards tied their horses to a nearby post and two went to stand beside her and two behind her.

Sarah could hear chanting on the other side of the church doors and she mentioned the goblins to be silent. As quiet as she could she entered the sacred place and moved to one of the back seats, two goblins on each side.

A few people before her, which she guessed to be elves, turned and looked at her. When they saw the goblins at her sides their eyes widened and a few jumped up and backed away, alerting more and more people in their wake. Soon the entire church was on their feet, facing them. Sarah’s cheeks reddened but the goblins didn’t even seem to notice – or care.

The singing stopped and made way for fearful and leery muttering.

“N-no, please… I don’ mean any harm!” Sarah said defensively, standing. The goblins mistook it for a reason to panic and they pulled a weapon, making people back away and gather by the chancel. “Guards, put your weapons away!” The woman demanded. Murmuring begun again and rose to higher and higher levels.

Suddenly one clear voice rang through the church, echoing against the walls and silencing everyone without having to raise his voice. “Enough.” Sarah looked as the crowd parted, feeling utterly embarrassed. An arctic robed figure appeared from the crowd. He was rather tall, had a grey beard and long snow white hair. His blue eyes pierced from under thick eyebrows and his strong cheekbones and crooked nose stood our rather starkly. He reminded Sarah of a typical priest or an apostle. Something in his religious aura quieted the area around him. His hands were folded into his sleeves and his steps echoed through the church. He stopped just past the group of scared and angry people, whom gathered back together like a closing curtain.

“Step forth, child.”

Sarah parted her lips but sealed them again and made her way towards him, the goblins staying behind her. She knelt in front of him, bowing her head with her hands folded. It was silent for a little while and she bit her lower lip worriedly, her heart racing as she still heard a few whispers. A warm hand came to rest upon her head, a gentle warmth that eased her. “Rise, infidus innupta.” She raised, his hand still resting on her head as she looked up at him. “Be welcome here, young maiden, as everyone is.” She looked back slightly and saw the goblins getting up too. “I welcome you in our community.”

“I… I’m very sorry I interrupted you, father.”

“Don’t worry, dear. It was not your intention. Please, sit with us.” He removed his hand from her head and held out a hand to a bench on the front row. “Brothers and sisters, let us take place again and continue. You need not fear these strangers.”

The nerves in the group dissipated and people hesitantly took their places again. They didn’t really avoid the goblins and her anymore, but they did keep their distance.

Slowly their chants joined those of the choir again and the priest handed her a small book, putting his hands around hers while opening it to the right page. The goblins moved closer to her curiously and the priest moved back to his position in the chapel.

Sarah looked down the text and her eyes sought the lines that were sung at that moment. As thanks for his support and his kindness so far Sarah started to sing along as best as she could. The goblins at her side muttered with her, slightly throwing off the song with their lack of knowledge of how to read or sing as they mimicked Sarah.

The song ended and the priest, whom she presumed to be Dulcis, recited a poem of prayer in a language she didn’t know. She followed the other people as they folded their hands, eyes closed and head down and said ‘Dyqethos amen’ as he finished.

Noticing she was the only one that said it she looked around, feeling embarrassed. Dulcis smiled fondly and nodded to her, echoing her chant with gratitude, other people joining in after that. “Go forth now, my sisters and brothers, I hope to see you all again next week.”

The people rose and headed out of the church with hushed whispers.

Sarah rose too and headed for Dulcis. “Thank you, father, for your hospitality.” She held out the little book to him gratefully and he turned to her, smiling.

“You’re very welcome, child.” He folded her hands around the book and pushed them back. “Please, keep it. I didn’t know some were still aware of the old ways of Dyqethos, I thank you for that.” He moved to the front row seat and patted his hand on the seat beside him, which Sarah took quietly. “You are a mortal child, it’s been a while since I’ve seen any of those in this little town, but I can still take up on the very obvious drive of determination your kind has. You’re on a mission. It’s no accident that you walked in on this particular place of sanctuary.”

The woman looked down at the little book in her hands and caressed the leather cover. “I don’t want to come off as someone coming here just because I needed something, but yes, father. I’m in need of help.”

“I will do what I can to lift the heavy aura around you, child. Speak freely and tell me what I can do for you.”

She put the book down, putting her hands on it to keep herself from fumbling. “I’m quite positive, but I have to ask either way… You’re Dulcis, right?” The man nodded slowly, once. “I have heard of you – dreamt of you even.”

“That is quite an honor.”

“I come from the goblin realm, as you might have expected.” She smiled up at him, the goblins looking at each other quietly. “I don’t know how fast news travels here, but a while ago the Goblin King had vanished from his place on the goblin throne. He was sent to my world and he came to me, his only option in my world.”

“I assume the realm of the short-lived and the unhappy?” Dulcis smiled as she looked up at him. “It’s the world where the unwanted come from. Taken, nursed and rehabilitated by the goblin realm. I assume you had some history with the monarch of the Labyrinth before this happened.”

The woman blushed. “I wished away my brother when I was a teenager. The Goblin King came to take him, but I said those words in the heat of the moment, and I wanted to win him back. I ran the Goblin King’s Labyrinth and won my brother back.”

“The champion, so legend has foretold.”

Sarah shook her head. “It doesn’t feel like a legend, I was just being selfish… and pubescent.” She added with a giggle.

“It is a legend. Not just you, but the Goblin King, the Labyrinth and the way the three of you were ultimately destined to meet and bond. I have not yet seen any of this legend as I have lived in this town for a long, long time.”

“I knew you were involved with queen Selah, at least with mummification and her burial.”

The priest’s expression fell and he sat back. “A most grievous occasion, but one I honor more than anything else. Queen Selah was a phenomenal queen, a beautiful woman and worth a place among the gods.”

“Before I continue, I’d like to ask if you know how she died.” She looked at him, a determined shimmer in her eyes.

“Yes.” His eyebrows knitted together in a frown. “She was poisoned. Her agony was great, but brief.”

“I’ve had visions of her burial ritual. The Goblin King has been poisoned the same way.”

“I thought you said he was sent away?”

“He was. He has been with me for a while, but one day he grew feverish, sick – and slipped into a coma. I contacted his doctor and he was brought back with his help. He now lies sick and weak in his chambers, slowly slipping further and further into what we presume to be Limbo.”

“And you presume these two occurrences to be connected? As terrible as it may sound, poisoning is not a rare occurrence in this world.”

The woman shook her head. “I _know_ they are connected. Not just these two poisonings, but queen Selah and king Jareth as well.”

“Connected? How? Selah was pure blood royalty. Jareth was found orphaned, adopted by one of the Strong, as far as I know.”

“Jareth was adopted by Jalismes, a once strong man, or so I’ve been told. Jalismes left him in the care of Confervo, another priest, for a while. After that Jalismes took him back to a place not for from the Labyrinth today. You are one of the first to hear this, his mother is known.”

“I have seen the great care which Confervo had for that little boy. Who is it, then?” Dulcis asked curiously.

“I was visited by Selah in my dreams, we spoke together. She told me that she was poisoned. And she told me she knew Jareth was poisoned as well. He is caught in Limbo as she was, except Jareth has been holding out much longer than her. It is only logical that she would visit me and help me try to heal him by finding you, amongst other things.” She looked at him closely. “It’s the least a mother can do.”

Dulcis parted his lips, his blue eyes wide as he looked at her. “I must have misunderstood you, child. Do you claim king Jareth to be Selah’s child?” The woman nodded and he stroked his beard, pondering. “If that is indeed true, then it’s no wonder the goblins took Jareth as a king that easily. Royalty lies in the aura. But then who is the father?”

Sarah shook her head. “That I do not know.”

“Then what is my place in this story, other than the burial of queen Selah?”

“We need a priest that is willing to perform a ritual for Jareth. There is still a chance to save him.”

“A ritual?” He put a hand on hers, his expression earnest. “Look, lady Sarah… I’m honored to serve queen Selah and her offspring in any way that I can, but I’m an old man, I don’t know if I can still travel. Not to mention that I’m very much needed here. The people of the Darklands are easily corrupted, regular visits to the church works like therapy for them.”

“I understand, you have already been kind to me, I don’t want to be pushy.”

One of the goblins spoke then. “Lady, we can still try to find Confervo.”

“Yes, thank you. I almost forgot.”

“Confervo disappeared over thirty years ago. He was a great friend to me. There are no clues as to where he might be, if he’s alive at all. The chance that you will find him, in time, is highly unlikely.” He saw her expression fall and he sighed. “There is no way you might be able to bring him here and let me do the ritual here?”

Sarah shook her head, tears of panic starting to brim in her eyes. “No… He’s too weak to be transported. He is practically just a shell. Transporting him will be impossible.”

Dulcis looked at the woman whom tried her very best not to cry and he let out a sigh, squeezing her hand. “You care a great deal for the Goblin King, child.”

“I do.”

“Perhaps… If you can provide me safe return to this place within two weeks, three if need be, I can come with you. But I’ll need comfort in my travels.”

Sarah looked up at him, a wide grin stretching over her face. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Oh thank you, father… Thank you so much!”

Dulcis chuckled softly and stroked her hair gently. “I propose we leave at first light tomorrow. I stay in a nearby inn. I propose you and your guards stay there as well.”

Sarah pulled back, slightly smiling at the goblins cackling in approval behind her. “Might there be some stables nearby where we can have the horses rest?”

“There are stables next to the inn actually, I’m sure they will have room for your horses there.”

Sarah turned to the goblins, which regained composure quickly. “Guards, make sure the horses are taken care of. I’ll meet you in the inn after that.” She narrowed her eyes at them. “No drinking tonight, I’m warning you. Tomorrow is a big day. I want all of you to be very attentive and aware, not just of our journey but of our guest. Is that understood?” The goblins were visibly put out but they nodded. “Good. Let’s go then. I could use a good night’s sleep.” She proposed, rising along with the priest, whom offered his hand and led her out of the church, candles dousing in their wake.

Sarah was sitting in the inn, writing a letter during dinner, sitting across from Dulcis. There was a comfortable silence on the table, not like the goblins that were noisily yelling through the inn. It gave Sarah a hard time concentrating on writing and all of a sudden she slammed her fist on the table, the goblins quieting instantly. “Silence!” The entire inn fell silent but Sarah either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Once she finished the letter she let out a sigh of relief and handed it to one of the guards. “Please get the hawk ready and send this letter on its way. After that all of your may retire.”

Dulcis looked at her and nodded. “It might be best if you do the same child, you look exhausted.”

Sarah nodded, taking one of the last bites off her bread and calming down a little. “Yes… I feel exhausted. Sleeping in a carriage for four days was harder than it seemed to be.”

“Why didn’t you rest in an inn during your trip?”

“There were none on our route. Besides, I wanted to get here as fast as possible. Only one of us is left in the castle, and he’s weak.”

“Only one of us you say, child?”

“My dad and his brother, the doctor, are helping me too, and all the Goblin King’s subjects, of course.”

“I see. The Goblin King must be a good king then, his subjects are loyal, and your father, his brother and you too, of course. I can’t help but wonder, child. Is the king someone special to you? I don’t mean to intrude of course, but it’s been on my mind for a while now.”

Sarah smiled as she thought of the arrogant king, twirling her water a little bit before answering. “I suppose he is.” Her face fell then, her hand moving away from the glass to rest besides it. “This is why it worries me so that he’s in such bad shape. I just hope he’ll be alright…”

Dulcis lay his hand upon hers; the same calming aura seeping into her skin and making her relax. “Worry not, child. I’ll do whatever I can to help you and the king. I’ll dedicate my prayers to you.”

The woman looked up at him gratefully, switching their hands so hers was resting on top. “Thank you father, I’m still so very grateful you have indulged into my request for help.”

“It’s not just my duty to help the people in need, whether they believe or not, child. It is also an honor, a pleasure, a privilege and a hobby of mine. Nothing brings me more joy and is more rewarding than helping others.”

Smiling, Sarah leaned back and put her hands on her lap. “That’s so beautiful.”

Dulcis smiled and rose. “Let’s rest. The next days will not be easy. Not for an old man and not for a tired lady.”


	42. Chapter 41

  
Author's notes:

Busy schedules! *twitch* Just two more weeks until summer break! It seems like the end of this story will be a longer way away than I'd originally thought when I restarted this story. The ball is rolling though, that's the most important thing! Even though updates are a bit slower than I'd thought and I've been in a bit of a... depression lately, I'm still trying to find time to write material for this.

Any questions or something of that sort? Leave 'em in the comments, I'll still have time for those.

* * *

Dulcis looked tired, even more so than her. She had given him ten cushions and two blankets to make himself comfortable, as well as more comfortable and warm robes. They had taken another route back, allowing them the luxury of an inn every other night.

He had barely eaten in these days, as he made her believe he always did. Dulcis had been grateful and taught her more of his religion. She had said prayers with him each morning and each night, meditated with him each night they did not ride and told her of the stories of the gods and the legends.

This included queen Selah and her reign.

She wasn’t forgiving, but she was just. Many had fallen under her reign, whether it was by her blade or another. There had been much bloodshed, but never without a reason. For every soul broken or lost, another would rise.

The queen had divided their continent and appointed those who would rule over it, creating the court of the Strong. Jalismes, Jareth’s father, was one of them; ruling over the lands of what was now the Labyrinth as well as many miles around it.

It wasn’t known who had poisoned her, but during her fall several of the Strong had cut the lines of their court and had formed their own court. Therewith several realms had been repelled and had been denied the right to enter court meetings or to be recognized as a proper kingdom at all.

The most famous example was the Goblin realm. Jalismes had pulled back from his duties and had pretty much abandoned his realm.

Once Jareth started building the Labyrinth the inhabitants of Jalismes’s realm, which were mostly goblins, other unwanted creatures fled from their own realms to seek refuge within the walls. The unwanted creatures called it their home and saw Jareth as their ruler. It wasn’t a position chosen, not really, but it was one he had seemed keen on picking up.

Upon hearing about the unwanted creatures coming to those lands, Sarah found it rather ironic that Jareth came to be a tooth fairy for children. She wasn’t entirely if someone gave him that duty, or if he took the initiative to take the unwanted himself.

“Lady, we have arrived.”

Sarah and Dulcis looked up; neither had noticed the carriage stopping or the door opening. “Ah, thank you.” The woman stepped out of the carriage and turned back to help the slightly sore priest out. He thanked her and she escorted them inside, sending the guards off to rest and to get a well-deserved reward.

“I’m guessing you’re weary from the trip. I’ll show you to your room and get you some food and something to drink.” She offered as they walked the hallways. “Is there anything special you’d like? You can name it and I’ll do what I can.”

“Some bread and soup will be more than enough, lady Sarah.”

“Of course. I’ll see to it myself. ”

“I’d very much appreciate that, thank you.”

She stopped in front of a door and smiled. “I’ll make sure to send some guards to stand watch over you tonight. You can ask them should you need anything. I’ll pick you up myself tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, child. I feel entirely safe in your care already.”

The woman smiled up at him as he opened the door and peered inside curiously. “I’ll go and get you something to eat and to drink and get you some guards. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Dulcis smiled and bowed a little before watching her retreating form.

\-----

“Sarah! You’re back!” Robert cried out happily as he saw her passing the doorway.

Her head popped back around the corner and she grinned. “Oh hi dad, I was looking for you.” She hugged her father as he walked towards her quickly.

“How did it go? Where is the priest?”

“Everything went fine. I dropped him off at a guestroom a little while ago. He was tired and requested to meet tomorrow.” She pulled back from the hug and looked up at her father. “Has Lucio returned yet?”

Robert sighed and looked to a nearby window. “No, he’s not back yet. I would’ve expected a hawk, at the least, by now. It’s almost been three weeks.”

“Do you think he’s alright?” She asked quietly, looking up at him. 

“I hope so, but only time will tell. Until then, we can only wait.”

The woman sighed, nodding. “How did your quest go? Did you find the fairies?”

Robert smiled. “I’ve found a few old fairies, nearing the end of their time; they were willing to die for a good cause.”

“How long did it take you to find them?”

“I had been wandering the Labyrinth for a few days. Many fairies are not too keen of the king, and rightly so. Being temporarily paralyzed can be rather inconvenient.”

“True… Quite honestly, I’m surprised there were any fairies willing at all.”

“They know they are a nuisance, they know they reproduce way too fast… Frankly, many fairies actually see the gasses as a drug…”

“They’re junkies?” Sarah blurted out, not managing to keep her lips from curling up.

Robert chuckled. “Sort of. Now then, you look tired. I’ll make sure to send some food to your room before I go to bed. Go ahead and visit Jareth, I want you to see him.” He ruffled her hair, walking past her.

Sarah blinked and turned to her father, whom just rounded the corner. “You want me to… What does that mean? Dad?”

Feeling fear creep up her spine she frowned and immediately headed for Jareth’s chambers.

As she entered she saw that the room was dimly lit, a table nearby filled with medical instruments, medicine and herbs. There was incense on his bedside, filling the room with the smell of cinnamon.

“Hi, lady.”

Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin as a goblin walked past her. “Oh, good evening.”

“Is good to see you back, lady. Your travels go well?”

“Oh, they went well, thank you. What are all these things here?”

“The royal healer has visited some days ago, on request of doctor Lucio. The king was rather cramped up and his muscles were suffering from spasms. So the royal healer brought some relaxing incense and tools to help him relax, nothing to worry about me thinks. He also receives a massage twice or three times every day.”

“Does he still get his shots?”

“Yes, lady, I have been taking up the role of his majesty’s caretaker, if you don’t mind. I do his shots, his massages, renewing the incense, you name it.”

“Thank you, it is greatly appreciated.” Sarah smiled kindly as she watched him heading for Jareth, a needle in hand. “Has he otherwise been stable?”

“Yes, lady, no changes, but sadly no improvements either.”

“He’ll get better soon, you’ll see.” Sarah said more confidently than she’d thought she could muster. “Why don’t you leave after this? I’ll make sure new incense will be lit and take care of him.”

“Okay, lady.” The goblin said with a smile as he pulled back from giving the king his injection. “I have been a servant of Lucio’s a long time ago, but king needed me with keeping other goblins together.”

“Are you alright with that?”

“Always happy to serve, lady.” The goblin stated as he cleaned up.

“I’m glad to hear you’re so honorable. If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know. I greatly appreciate what you’ve done for the king, and I’m sure he does too.”

The goblin smiled at her as he finished packing up. “I wouldn’t know what, but I might later. I’ll go now.”

“Goodnight…”

“Ignatz.” He stated as her she hinted for the question.

The woman nodded. “Ignatz, thank you. Have a good rest.”

“And you as well, lady.” He chirped before he ran out of the room.

Sarah sat down besides Jareth and looked down at him.

The woman wasn’t sure he’d been this pale when she left. She assumed so. It seemed like he’d gained a little weight, filling up the hollows of his cheeks to its usual shape again. He seemed to lose more and more of his muscle though, thinning his arms and making his chest look scrawny.

She tested the muscles in his upper arms, feeling that they indeed were rather cramped up. Walking to the supplies in his room she looked if there was any massage oil of some sorts.

After searching thoroughly, she huffed as she found nothing. She grabbed a bowl from the bathroom and filled it with warm water. She settled down at his side, pulling down the covers and seeing he was just wearing a shirt and shorts, leaving most of his limbs bare and easily accessible.

Completely forgetting food was probably waiting for her in the next room she started washing him with the warm water, massaging it while doing so and after she finished, kneading his muscles to further relaxation.

At least an hour had passed when she finished up, the water strangely still warm somehow. She dumped the water and the towel she’d just used in the bathroom. As she walked back she pressed her lips to his forehead, raking her hand through his hair once before leaving to her own room.

The plate of food was completely forgotten as she shuffled to her bed and lay down, falling asleep before her head hit even the pillow.

\----

The next morning, Sarah woke feeling as if she’d been in a coma. Which wasn’t all that far from the truth. When she looked to the clock in her room she saw it was already three in the afternoon.

With a deep sigh she shuffled to the bathroom, washed herself and put on a comfortable outfit before she headed out with a quest to find food.

She’d never tell anyone that she got lost four times in the castle before she found her way.

Opening the door to the kitchen she saw Robert sitting at the table with Dulcis, making small talk while enjoying a cup of tea.

“Good afternoon.” The woman said with a yawn. “Did my father take good care of you?” She asked Dulcis as she started to raid the cabinets.

“Your father has taken great care of me, thank you.”

“Dad, any sign of Lucio yet? Did someone already attend to Jareth?”

“No sign of Lucio yet, no. But yes, Jareth has been taken care of. If Lucio hasn’t returned my tomorrow afternoon yet I’m sending out a search party.” He said worriedly, looking as his daughter prepared herself enough breakfast for two. “I heard you didn’t touch the food I brought you last night.”

The woman sat down at the head of the table, taking a long sip from her drink before turning him to answer. “I washed and massaged Jareth last night as soon as I got there; I took my time and barely even made the bed before falling asleep.”

“Don’t put yourself last, Sarah. I want you to take good care of yourself. You’re going through a lot right now.”

“Really dad, my survival chances here are infinitely greater than Jareth’s right now. I set my priorities and I’ll stick to them.” She saw the hurt look on his face and she leaned towards him, pressing a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be fine, dad. I’m just tired. Jareth is more important to me right now.” She took a large bite of her sandwich and swallowed before talking. “I propose to send out a search party today, as soon as possible. Not just because Lucio has been gone for way too long, but also because Dulcis needs to go home as soon as he can.”

“I was thinking of sending out several small groups of goblins. I’ve set out a few locations which Lucio might have passed, they can go from there.” Robert offered. “I want to recruit some fairies as well; they’re mobile and travel faster than most goblins.” The man slightly frowned at the way his daughter was almost literally stuffing her face, determination clear on her face. “Quite a bit of fairies let us know that they’re worried for their king, despite Jareth’s actions towards them. I’m quite sure they’ll be willing to go and look for him, or at least a few.”

“Good, let’s get to work.”

“Sarah – wait…” Robert pleaded as Sarah put away her food, her mouth still full as she stormed out of the room.

Dulcis chuckled. “She’s a determined one.”

Robert sighed as he raised, Dulcis doing the same. “Just like her mother. Let’s go.”

\------

Sarah stood determined in front of the castle, small groups of goblins and a few fairies waiting for dismissal. Robert was standing behind her. While his daughter was giving instructions his mind started to wander.

Some time ago he’d been talking to Karen about him going to stay in this world, near Linda. They’d already arranged everything, Robert would give everything he owned to her so he could give her maximum support to the child she was expecting. Toby would come to the Underground once all this drama had passed. Karen should’ve told him by now, though Robert didn’t have the time to check up on them yet. He’d just hope it would work out fine in the end.

He snapped out of his thoughts as Sarah let out a decisive sigh. She repeated once more where each group would be headed after the short speech she’d just held. While one group of goblins suddenly lost all comprehension on the given task, which Sarah patiently explained once more, Robert noticed commotion further down the road. A group of goblins swarmed around the point of interest and he tried to see from his position what it was that had riled up the goblins so much. 

A brief flash of a familiar face was all it took to instantly go running towards the excitement.

All groups lost focus then, looking after the man that just took off. Sarah looked around as well, wondering what had happened. She saw her father stop in front of a group of goblins and felt her heart leap as she saw the familiar face.

It was bloodied, it was too thin, it was dirty, but it was familiar.

It was Lucio, at last.


End file.
